Ed Miliband has pressed the button on a giant new windfarm.
The Five Estuaries Offshore Wind Farm has secured a Development Consent Order from the Secretary of State , marking a major milestone for the 1,080MW project.
Once built in the southern North Sea, it would be capable of powering up to 1 million homes each year.
Five Estuaries is an extension to the operational Galloper Wind Farm and will be located across two seabed areas covering around 128 square kilometres.
The scheme is consented for up to 79 turbines with a maximum tip height of 370 metres, plus associated foundations and offshore infrastructure.
The project is owned by RWE, which is leading development with a 33.33% stake, alongside a Macquarie led consortium on 25%, ESB on 20.83% and Sumitomo Corporation on 20.83%.
Power from the wind farm will come ashore via subsea cables to Sandy Point between Frinton on Sea and Holland on Sea in Essex, then via underground cables to a new substation west of Little Bromley before joining National Grid’s proposed Norwich to Tilbury transmission corridor.
Danielle Lane, RWE Director of Development for UK and Ireland, commented: “This achievement reflects years of dedicated community engagement and collaboration with local stakeholders.”
During construction and operation, the project is expected to support hundreds of skilled jobs directly and across the wider supply chain.
Next steps include refining the design in line with consent conditions and securing a route to market ahead of a final investment decision and the start of construction, while the project team continues to work with local communities, skills bodies and businesses as plans progress.
Secretary of State approves Five Estuaries offshore wind farm appeared first on Energy Live News.