One of the UK’s leading renewable energy developers and operators today announced the preferred locations for the onshore infrastructure for the proposed offshore wind farm Triton Knoll.
If built, Triton Knoll could generate enough clean energy to power hundreds of thousands of homes. It is also estimated that Triton Knoll could create 500 UK jobs during construction and up to 325 UK jobs during operation. It would be located off the east coast of England, approximately 20 miles off the coast of Lincolnshire and 28 miles from the coast of North Norfolk.
RWE npower renewables’ announcement specifies the company’s preferred location for the onshore substation and intermediate electrical compound, specifically that:
• the preferred location for the substation is located to the north west of Bicker and west of Swineshead
• the preferred location for the onshore intermediate electrical compound is located south west of Skegness and adjacent to the Wainfleet Road Industrial Estate
The onshore infrastructure will enable the energy to be transmitted from the offshore wind farm to the national grid.
Today’s announcement follows extensive consultation with local communities including residents, businesses and public organisations as well as discussions with the local planning authorities.
Jacob Hain, Triton Knoll Project Manager said: “We received some valuable feedback from the local communities, who were kind enough to share their local knowledge. By participating in the consultation, they have directly influenced the choice of location.
“The preferred locations were selected by balancing environmental, technical, economic and engineering considerations alongside the key issues identified by local residents. Not only did local knowledge carry more weight in the evaluation, it has crucially influenced the design of the electrical system. For example, we have now committed to build an alternative construction road that avoids the village of Bicker.
“We will continue to work with the local community as we develop our project. A newsletter providing more information on the chosen locations is being sent out to all residents and business we have contacted previously and will be available on our website for others to download.
““We will be holding a further consultation on what the infrastructure will look like in due course. We also will be contacting landowners to discuss the development, and will look to work closely with Boston Borough Council, South Holland and East Lindsey District Council to develop our proposals.”
Four zones were originally short-listed for the potential location for the onshore substation, and three zones short-listed for the location of the intermediate electrical compound. The public consultation with statutory bodies and communities local to the zones took place between February and April of this year.
Following the consultation, the ‘blue zone’, located to the north west of Bicker and west of Swineshead, has been selected as the preferred location for Triton Knoll’s onshore substation. The ‘brown zone’, located south west of Skegness and adjacent to the Wainfleet Road Industrial Estate, has been selected as the preferred location for Triton Knoll’s onshore intermediate electrical compound.
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Press release, June 26, 2013; Images: RWE