Ecology specialists from Royal Haskoning DHV will for the next two weeks be surveying vegetation and wildlife habitats at parts of the onshore export cable corridor for the 900MW Triton Knoll offshore wind farm.
The proposed onshore export cable route is almost 60 kilometers in length and runs from the landfall location at Anderby Creek, through to Bicker Fen where the power generated by the offshore wind farm will ultimately connect into the national grid network.
The work will see two RHDHV ecologists visiting each plot on foot to record semi-natural vegetation and wildlife habitats. They will classify and record parcels of land based on vegetation presence, in order to fine tune the project’s ecological assessment of the route. This, in turn, will help support the final detailed design of mitigation and restoration works to be implemented as part of the underground cable installation works.
Triton Knoll Onshore Consents Manager Vicky Portwain said: “These surveys will help us better understand the ecology and habitats of the land and environments along the length of the consented onshore cable corridor. The results will complement the information that we already have, and allow us to refine our designs for the installation and management of the onshore electrical system.”
Triton Knoll has consent to install the onshore underground cable, an intermediate electrical compound at Orby, and a new substation at Bicker Fen.
The wind farm will be located approximately 32km off the Lincolnshire coast and 50km off the coast of North Norfolk.
The project is being developed as a joint venture between Innogy Renewables UK Ltd (innogy) (50%) and Statkraft (50%), with innogy managing the project on behalf of the partnership.
The developers secured consent for the offshore array in July 2013 and for the electrical system in September 2016.
There are still a number of key stages for the project to complete, including a successful Final Investment Decision, after which onshore construction could then begin.