ScottishPower Renewables has announced Grove Wood, Friston, as the most appropriate location for development of the onshore substations required for its East Anglia TWO and East Anglia ONE North offshore windfarms.
The decision comes following an additional consultation period for the projects (Phase 3.5), which, in parallel to the proposals for the Grove Wood, Friston, site, explored the opportunity to consider an alternative site at Broom Covert, Sizewell.
Consultation Phase 3.5, which ran from 29th of September to 12th November, saw ScottishPower Renewables host public meetings and share consultation documents with local residents and stakeholders. This phase of consultation also communicated additional information regarding connection to the electrical network, drainage, traffic and transport.
In response to this phase of consultation approximately 600 responses were received, in relation to both sites, from members of the public, local interest groups and statutory stakeholders. All of the feedback has been carefully reviewed and considered.
This phase of consultation highlighted concerns regarding potential impact on the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and thus compliance with National Planning Statements.
As a responsible developer, ScottishPower Renewables takes a balanced view towards site selection at all times, using industry leading legal and technical advisors, who draw on national planning policy, in addition to the company’s project experience, notably in the successful development of East Anglia ONE and East Anglia THREE offshore wind projects.
Based on responses to the consultation and extensive advice, it is ScottishPower Renewables’ view that the Grove Wood, Friston, site offers the best location for the electrical infrastructure required to input the clean energy from the proposed windfarms into the grid network.
David Walker, Development Director at ScottishPower Renewables, said: “We would like to thank everyone who responded to this latest phase of consultation. The feedback received has played an important part in helping us make this decision.
“After carefully reviewing all of the feedback, it was decided that the Grove Wood, Friston, site will remain as the preferred location for the substations.
“We are now looking at the key matters raised in relation to the Grove Wood site and we are considering how these influence our plans going forward. In early 2019 we will be launching Phase 4 of our consultation and we encourage as many people as possible to continue engaging with us on the next stage of our plans.”
ScottishPower Renewables’ Phase 4 consultation will detail the approach to site selection and be based around the Environmental Statement, which will set out the proposed infrastructure and its likely environmental impacts.
More information on the site selection process can be found at www.spreastanglia.co.uk
The proposed East Anglia TWO and East Anglia ONE North offshore windfarms have the potential to power 1.5 million homes* with clean energy.
The two projects, East Anglia TWO and East Anglia ONE North with a capacity of 900MW and 800MW respectively, follow on from the 714MW East Anglia ONE project, currently in construction and the 1,200 MW East Anglia THREE scheme, which received planning consent last year.
For further information please contact Sophie Fraser or Tom Harvey at Pier Marketing
Sophie T: 07469 244397 E: sophie@pier-marketing.com
Tom T: 07384 463501 E: tom@pier-marketing.com
Pier ScottishPower Renewables team T: 01394 646400
*Equivalent number of homes powered calculated by: Number of megawatts multiplied by the number of hours in one year (8,766) multiplied by the average load factor for offshore wind (38.36% as published within the Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics), divided by the average annual household energy consumption (3,781KWH).
East Anglia TWO: 900 MW x 0.3836 x 8,766 hours / 3.781MWh = 800,416 homes
East Anglia ONE North: 800 MW x 0.3836 x 8,766 hours/3.781MWh = 711,481 homes
Total: 1,511,897 homes