* Partners for Galloper: RWE, Siemens , Macquarie, GIB
* Partners to finance 30 pct, rest to come from banks
* Galloper to be operational in March 2018 (Recasts, adds context, unit CEO)
FRANKFURT/DUESSELDORF, Oct 30 (Reuters) - German utility RWE RWEG.DE has found three partners to finance the 1.5 billion pound ($2.3 billion) Galloper wind park to be built off the British coast, it said on Friday, expanding the renewable business critics said it neglected for too long.
RWE said Britain's Green Investment Bank (GIB), German engineering group Siemens SIEGn.DE and Australian bank Macquarie MQG.AX would join the 336 megawatt project, with each of the partners holding a 25 percent stake.
"The partnerships are crucial to us. It enables us to realise our projects," Hans Buenting, chief executive of RWE's renewable unit Innogy, told Reuters.
Construction of the wind farm, which will be located about 27 kilometres (17 miles) off the coast of Suffolk in eastern England and produce power for up to 336,000 homes, will begin in November, with operation expected to start in March 2018.
Most upfront financing for offshore wind parks usually comes from power producers, but the high price tag of at least a billion euros per park as well as tight budget restraints in the crisis-ridden utility sector mean outside money is crucial.
Buenting said that 30 percent of the project costs were shouldered by the partners, with the rest being financed by banks, translating to a direct investment of about 100 million pounds for RWE. ($1 = 0.6519 pounds) ($1 = 0.9105 euros)