German power company RWE and Siemens have entered into a joint venture to build an offshore wind farm in Wales.

RWE will hold a 60% stake in this joint venture, Stadtwerke München 30% and Siemens 10%. The total investment amounts to more than two billion euros, including the grid connection to the coast. The investment will be divided between the partners accordingly.

Gwynt y Môrn (which means 'sea wind' in Welsh) is to be built with an installed capacity of 576 megawatts in Liverpool Bay, around 18 kilometres off the North Wales coast.

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Work will start towards the end of 2011 to erect the first foundations for a total of 160 wind turbines. All permits for the wind farm covering an area of 79 square kilometres have already been obtained.

The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Chris Huhne said: "This is the first, of what I hope will be many, examples of how we can make the most of our island's huge renewable energy potential. I want to make sure we grab all the opportunities the rapidly expanding renewables industry has to offer, and that wind power can come of age under this government."

In its first phase of expansion, the wind farm is planned to generate electricity as early as 2013. The project is expected to be completed in 2014. From then onwards it is forecast to generate around 1,950 gigawatt hours of electricity annually, enough to supply around 400,000 British households. The site is in a very favourable location: Liverpool Bay in North Wales is characterised by comparatively shallow water and very high wind speeds.

(CD/GK)