Dong Energy A/S will build what it says is the world's largest offshore wind farm, which will be located in the Irish Sea and will be able to power as many as half a million homes.

The wind farm will use turbines that are built by MHI Vestas Offshore Wind and Siemens, and is expected to be finished in 2018. The 660-megawatt project will surpass the current record-holder, which is the 630-megawatt London Array, also built by Dong Energy.

The UK is hoping that offshore wind energy projects will help it achieve its clean energy goals, boosting its use of renewable power sources. Wind projects have largely avoided subsidy cuts brought on by Prime Minister David Cameron's conservative party, which won the election in May, with these cuts having affected a number of other clean energy projects.

"British offshore wind has seen phenomenal growth in recent years," said Samuel Leupold, vice president at Dong Energy, in a statement. "A prerequisite for long-term growth in the industry is that offshore wind eventually can compete on costs with other energy technologies. Building Walney Extension will bring us one step closer to that target."

Dong Energy itself is expected to have as much as 6.5 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity by the end of the decade, with the company being the largest provider of offshore wind power. In total, the company will offer 5,089 megawatts of offshore wind energy by the closing of this particular project, the Walney Extension, which is enough to power a massive 12.5 million homes in the UK.

Via: Bloomberg