London (Platts)--7Nov2012/1225 pm EST/1725 GMT

A fresh UK wind power generation record was set Tuesday afternoon with a half-hour average of 4.199 GW for the period 14:30 to 15:00 local time, or 9.3% of the total UK energy mix, National Grid said Wednesday.

The new record exceeds the half-hourly record of 4.157 GW achieved at 19:00 on September 12.

The National Grid's initial forecast for Tuesday afternoon was 4.055 GW, an error of 2.7% of installed capacity, with the updated forecast published hours hours in advance just 1.4% off the actual outturn at 4.272 GW.

"The forecasting performance was excellent," Alan Smart, Energy Operations manager at National Grid, said.

"Our wind forecasting tool is under continuous development and we have done a lot of work to improve our forecasts on high wind days. As more wind generation is connected to the system, this tool will become increasingly important in helping us manage the electricity system," he said.

The UK has seen a flurry of wind generation records over recent months as large-scale offshore wind farms begin transmitting power to the UK grid.

The London Array offshore wind project exported electricity to the UK power grid for the first time at the end of October as part of its initial 630 MW capacity phase. The 175 turbine first phase of the project, based 20 kilometers off the southeast coast of England in the Thames Estuary, is expected to be complete by the end of the year, in line with its construction schedule, but has already produced electricity from the 152 turbines currently in place.

As a result, the London Array has ousted the 500 MW Greater Gabbard offshore wind farm from its position as the world's largest operational project of its kind, and may grow larger, subject to permission for a second phase, which would take the total capacity to 860 MW.

--Jillian Ambrose, jillian_ambrose@platts.com --Edited by Jonathan Fox, jonathan_fox@platts.com