World's largest offshore windfarm opens off the coast of Kent

The London Array was a £1.5 billion joint venture by energy companies DONG Energy, E.ON and Masdar, Abu Dhabi's state-backed renewable energy company. The project involved over 75 organisations, including suppliers from throughout the UK. It consists of 175 wind turbines, able to generate 630MW of electricity.

"London Array is a big deal for offshore wind, a big deal for UK electricity supply and a big deal for inward investment into the UK," said Energy Secretary Ed Davey.

"It's a bulk generator of power feeding into the diverse mix on our grid. Half a million homes will be London Array powered. This is good news for keeping our lights on and reducing carbon emissions. The Government is reforming the market, and last week announced long-term support for offshore wind, to make sure that more projects like this come to fruition," he said.

The facility was formally opened by the Prime Minister, who said that the project was a "win for local jobs, skills and growth".

The Government published the first 'strike prices', guaranteeing what the National Grid will pay for future renewable energy generation, at the end of last month. Under new Contracts for Difference (CfDs), which will be created by the Energy Bill, offshore wind projects will be guaranteed £155 per megawatt hour (MWh) of energy generated from 2014/15, which will fall to £135/MWh by 2018/19.

Energy law expert Melanie Grimmitt of Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind Out-Law.com, said that the firm was "delighted to have played a part in delivering such an important project over the last five years" as part of the London Array team.