RWE has launched an online virtual public exhibition platform to provide residents of Dublin and Wicklow in Ireland with the opportunity to find out about the proposed Dublin Array offshore wind farm.
Plans and photomontages of the wind farm are available on the project’s website .
Dublin Array offshore wind farm, a joint venture between RWE Renewables Ireland and Saorgus Energy, with RWE leading the development, is located on the Kish and Bray Banks, approximately 10 kilometres from the coastline of Dublin and counties Wicklow and Dublin.
These are naturally occurring sandbanks which the east coast commercial shipping routes avoid due to the shallowness of the water thereby presenting a location for potential development. Proximity to Dublin, which is the major electricity demand centre, means that the project can be a significant source of renewable electricity for the city and the surrounding region.
The project will feature between 45 and 61 wind turbines and have a capacity of up to 900 MW.
“We have not yet submitted a planning application for Dublin Array. We hope the information on the portal provides a platform for us to have a meaningful exchange of information with local communities and understand any issues or concerns people have. The provision of the information platform and a range of contact details the public can use to informally engage with us, is because their views matter to us,” Peter Lefroy , Dublin Array Project Director, said.
“In addition, we are using a specialised communications tool called Give My View to engage on social media with community members. While browsing Facebook and Instagram over the next few weeks residents may come across a Give My View advertisement inviting them to respond to some questions about green energy and the proposed Dublin Array Wind Farm. Your views matter to us so I would urge community members to respond.”
Available to view on the project website is the turbine layout plan, photomontages outlining the potential view from a variety of popular coastal locations, as well as other project-related information as well general offshore wind-related videos.