It was officially opened on 23 September 2010,[5][6] when it overtook Horns Rev 2 as the biggest offshore wind farm in the world.

It was purchased from a group of sponsors led by Warwick Energy Ltd.[13][14] In August 2008 Christofferson, Robb & Co placed the project back on the market.

[20][21][22] Since turbine construction makes up the majority of the project cost and the UK has no capacity, much of the work was contracted to foreign companies, resulting in only 20% of the investment going to British firms.

[24] An article by climate change denier[25] and intelligent design supporter[26] Christopher Booker criticised the subsidy given to develop the project and drew attention to the capacity factor of wind farms.

[29] In June 2010, the Crown Estate announced that Thanet wind farm could be extended to produce an additional 147 MW.

[31] As of 2017 Vattenfall is working at the option for an extension[32] On 2 June 2020, the DCO for a new cluster of wind turbines off the coast of Thanet was rejected.

Vattenfall stated in their initial application that the Thanet Extension would allow an expansion to the existing workforce of 75 people.

"We continue to believe that Thanet extension would be an important development for the local area, for UK energy security, and for the drive to reduce emissions."