RWE opens massive wind farm in Wales

CARDIFF, Wales, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- A wind farm in Wales is the largest renewable energy source in the region with the capacity to meet the energy demands of 61,000 homes per year, executives say.

Peter Hain, the British secretary of state for Wales, joined RWE Chief Executive Officer Juergen Grossmann to inaugurate the Rhyl Flats offshore wind farm in North Wales on Wednesday.

The 25 wind turbines at Rhyl Flats will produce 90 megawatts of energy, which RWE said makes it the largest renewable energy source in Wales. The farm takes up 4 square miles at an area 5 miles from the north Wales coast in Liverpool Bay.

RWE Innogy, the renewable energy arm of RWE, said it plans to invest slightly more than $1 billion per year in the development of wind farms.

"RWE Innogy is one of the fastest growing companies in this sector in Europe," added Grossmann.

The company said it plans to expand its renewable energy footprint off the continental European coast with wind farms off the coast of Belgium and Germany.