RWE npower renewables has announced that the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) has formally accepted the company’s application for Triton Knoll Offshore Wind Farm for examination.
The application is for an offshore wind farm with a capacity of up to 1,200MW of low carbon energy located approximately 20 miles off the coast of Lincolnshire and 28 miles from the coast of north Norfolk. Each year the wind farm could generate renewable energy to meet the average consumption of approximately 850,000 homes each year.
The decision to accept the application for examination confirms that the wind farm proposals have been correctly submitted. The application will now pass into the examination stages of the IPC’s decision making process. The IPC will publish all the documents and plans that form part of the application for development consent for Triton Knoll Offshore Wind Farm on its website at http://infrastructure.independent.gov.uk.
RWE npower renewables’ application follows over six months consideration of feedback received during a 42 day consultation exercise – including five days of public exhibitions hosted by the company in June 2011. The submission includes a Consultation Report, detailing feedback received and how the project has taken into account this feedback. It also sets out how RWE npower renewables carried out its consultation in accordance with its Statement of Community Consultation for the project which was published in May 2011.
Jacob Hain, Triton Knoll project manager at RWE npower renewables, explained, “This is a major step forward for the project, the company and the offshore wind industry. It brings the delivery of this significant renewable energy project one step closer to construction and operation, and ultimately, a major contribution to employment in the UK.
“Offshore wind farms provide economic benefits during their construction and operation phases both through direct job creation and through the wider supply chain. So far, during assessments for Triton Knoll Offshore Wind Farm, we have already placed contracts with vessel operators around the wind farm site that exceed £3m.
“The acceptance of the application confirms that we have delivered our consultation correctly. We have invited comments from local communities, statutory consultees and non-statutory organisations and listened carefully to the feedback received, revising our proposals where appropriate. The IPC will now take the lead in considering the detail of the proposals and its merits, and will invite further comment from registered interested parties.”
