UK Government greenlights world's largest offshore windfarm

London (Platts)--18Dec2006

The UK Government has approved the world's largest offshore windfarm,
the 1-GW London Array, off the coast of Kent, the Department of Trade and
Industry said Monday. It has also given the go-ahead for the 300-MW Thanet
windfarm, also located offshore Kent, the DTI said.
Alistair Darling, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, said:
"Together, once built, they will mark a significant stride towards our
renewables target ... Britain is second only to Denmark in the offshore wind
sector and projects such as the London Array, which will be the biggest in the
world when completed, and Thanet underline the real progress that is being
made."
The London Array would comprise 341 turbines sited in the approaches to
the Thames Estuary, over 20 km offshore. It would be the world's first
gigawatt-scale offshore wind farm, according to the development consortium,
London Array, and would provide 10% of the UK government's target of 10% of UK
electricity coming from renewable sources by 2010.
The windfarm would also include five offshore substations and four
meteorological masts. At least one of these substations has faced opposition
from local planning authorities. Swale Borough Council issued a decision on
June 5 rejecting one sub6station proposal, but the LA consortium has since
appealed.
LA said the appeal had been lodged with the Planning Inspectorate, "which
will decide how and when the appeal progresses." The London Array consortium
is made up of Shell WindEnergy, E.ON UK Renewables Developments and CORE. CORE
is a joint venture between UK developer Farm Energy, the originator of the
project, and Danish wind power specialist Energi E2.
The planning application for the project itself has been done under
Section 36 of the 1989 Electricity Act, which applies to power plants
larger than 50 MW. The announcement Monday means the project has received
planning authorization from both the DTI and the Department for Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs.
There is currently a bottleneck in Section 36 planning applications,
which has meant some delay in the planning process for larger power plants,
and developers had feared further delays in the process. The announcement of
government consent is therefore a significant boon to the project.
E.ON UK spokesman Jonathan Smith said the consortium was "looking at a
four-year construction time" after planning permission was granted,
meaning that the windfarm could be finished by 2011 now that planning
permission has been granted.
Environment Secretary David Miliband said: "We expect this announcement
will be the first of a number of large-scale offshore wind farms in the UK and
will provide real impetus for the continued developments in the offshore
renewable energy sector that will benefit generations to come."
James Smith, chairman of Shell UK, said on behalf of the LA consortium:
"We're delighted to have received the DTI's consents today. I also welcome the
Government's commitment, made during the recent Energy Review, to adapt the
Renewables Obligation. This will enable the commercialization of technologies
such as offshore wind that can deliver the larger scale projects required for
emissions targets to be met."
"Moreover, the Government's decision to reform the planning system for
major energy infrastructure projects will help ensure a balance is struck
between the national interest and local concerns," he added.
The smaller, GBP500 (Eur745; $977) million Thanet wind farm will include
100 turbines occupying an area of around 35 km squared. The project, led by
developer Warwick Energy, is being fast-tracked for delivery in 2008, the DTI
said.
Director of Warwick Energy Mark Petterson said: "We are pleased that the
Defra and DTI consents have been granted. The emphasis must now be on the
timely delivery of new renewable energy capacity to make a real impact on CO2
emissions. We urge all involved to stay focused on the important tasks ahead."
Commenting on the announcement, British Wind Energy Association chief
executive Maria McCaffery said: "BWEA is delighted by the first consents for
the second phase of the UK's world-leading offshore program. The significance
of these decisions is far greater than the projects themselves, although they
will bring many notable benefits to the UK in terms of clean carbon free
generation."
"Far more important is the clear signal from the UK to the rest of the
world that this country is open for business for offshore wind and we look
forward to more consents in the near future."

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