New partners in British offshore wind

LONDON, Jan. 28 (UPI) -- A consortium steering wind farm development off the British coast said two new partners are on board to help build the 336 megawatt Galloper Wind Farm.

Energy sector service company Petrofac and GE signed a contract with more than $150 million to help with engineering, installation and connectivity of the Galloper offshore facility being construction off the coast of Suffolk.

Petrofac under the terms of the agreement will provide key components of project infrastructure and assist with commissioning while GE provide the overall electrical system design.

"Once constructed Galloper Offshore Wind Farm will be capable of generating enough clean energy to meet the needs of over 330,000 homes," Project Director Toby Edmonds said in a statement.

Renewables are growing in the British energy sector, with power increasing 5.9 percent year-on-year in 2015. The British government was criticized last year for ending subsidies to support some parts of the renewable energy industry, though officials defended the move by pointing to lower industry costs.

Construction for the Galloper project is underway. The offshore substation is on pace for installation next year and the facility should start generating electricity for the British grid by early 2018.