Wind and tidal energy update
Updates on Hornsea Offshore Wind Farm, Navitus Bay Wind Park and Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay.
Hornsea Offshore Wind Farm Project 2
The application for development consent for Hornsea Offshore Wind Farm Project 2, submitted by SMart Wind has been accepted for examination by the Planning Inspectorate.
If granted consent, Project Two will be the second offshore wind farm developed by SMart Wind in the Hornsea Zone. Located approximately 89km off the Yorkshire coast, it will comprise up to 360 wind turbines and will connect to the grid at North Killingholme in North Lincolnshire. Project One received development consent in December 2014.
You can now read the application documents submitted and register with the Planning Inspectorate to become an “interested party”. The deadline for registering is 22 April 2015.
More information about what happens next is available on the Planning Inspectorate website.
Navitus Bay Wind Park
The Planning Inspectorate has closed the examination of the application for the Navitus Bay Wind Park project which, if consented, would be located off the Dorset coast and comprise up to 194 turbines.
The RYA has responded at every stage to the developer’s proposals throughout the examination period and is satisfied that its concerns have been addressed.
There will now be a period of three months for the Examining Authority to consider and make a recommendation to the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State will then have three months in which to make a decision.
Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay
The Planning Inspectorate has issued its examination report to the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State has to issue a decision by 10 June 2015. The decision will be published on the Planning Inspectorate website.
The Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay project will harness tidal energy. The developer claims that it will be the world’s first, purpose-built, tidal lagoon power plant. If it receives consent, it will consist of a manmade seawall containing a series of turbines designed to capture energy from the motion of the tides and generate electricity.
The Planning Process
As nationally significant infrastructure projects these three potential developments are all subject to the same application process. Further information about how the application process works can be found on the National Infrastructure Planning website.