£1bn wind farm will be shut for weeks due to fault

A billion-pound wind farm has been closed for more than two weeks after a technical fault brought it to a standstill.

Rampion Wind Farm, which is 13km off the Sussex coast, is still out of commission after an electrical problem on October 26.

A spokeswoman for Rampion said the repairs would be complicated and time-consuming.

“A fault has occurred on our High Voltage electrical system,” she said.

“We are in the process of repairing this and will have the wind farm up and running again as soon as possible.

“These are complex repairs and it is critical they are carried out correctly which will take some time.

“It will be a few weeks before we return to normal operation.”

Both the National Grid and Rampion have said the closure will not affect electricity supplies locally.

A National Grid spokesman said the closure would have “no effect on energy supplies” as the grid had plenty in reserve.

“The temporary shutdown of Rampion will not affect the supply of electricity to the local area as the windfarm is connected to the High Voltage National Grid,” the Rampion spokeswoman said.

“National Grid are responsible for managing the supply of electricity and ensuring that there is no loss of electricity supply to the local area as and when the windfarm is shut down.”

The £1.3 billion wind farm was completed year.

Its 116 turbines generate enough electricity to power 350,000 homes.