Consultation as offshore wind farm could be doubled in size
An extension to a wind farm off the Sussex coast could power more than one million homes a year.
A consultation on the Rampion Offshore Wind Farm’s expansion, being termed as Rampion 2, has been launched,
Depending on the final scheme, Rampion 2 could reduce carbon emissions by about 1.8million tonnes per year, those behind the scheme said.
Chris Tomlinson, development and stakeholder manager for Rampion 2, said: “We will use the results of our investigations and stakeholder engagement to identify the best possible sites for the onshore and offshore project elements, while minimising disturbance to the local community and environment in delivering this vital green energy project.
“At this early stage, we would very much welcome feedback from the Sussex community so that we are aware of all local issues, concerns and constraints as we prepare more detailed proposals for a formal public consultation later this year.”
In autumn last year, it was announced that an offshore ‘area of search’ was being assessed for a maximum of up to 116 turbines, the same number as the existing Rampion Offshore Wind Farm.
The area under consideration is wide – stretching as far west as off the coast of Bognor Regis and off Beachy Head, in East Sussex, to the east.
Consultation documents stated: “This does not mean that turbines will be erected everywhere across the area of search but rather that we need to explore all the constraints in order to identify the best and optimum site for a wind farm somewhere within the area of search.”
A subsea export cable is proposed to bring the power ashore under Climping beach, with an underground onshore cable route required to bring the power inland to connect to the national transmission grid at Bolney, where three potential sites are being considered for a new substation.
The original project saw cabling come ashore under Worthing beach.
A ‘virtual village hall’ exhibition experience has gone live at www.rampion2.com for people to find out more and to share their views and any local information they think may be important for the project design.
Online visitors can tour the exhibition to study maps and charts, watch a video flying over the onshore cable route options, find out how the operating Rampion Wind Farm was built, or arrange a virtual meeting with members of the project team to ask more detailed questions.
Formal public consultation on detailed proposals will take place in mid-2021 prior to further refinements of final proposals, which will form the basis of the Rampion 2 planning application.
The project team hopes plans will be submitted late in 2021. If permission is granted, construction would begin in 2025/26 at the earliest, with a view to having a completed, operational project before the end of the decade.
Rampion is the only wind farm off the south coast of England and this densely populated region is where much of the electricity demand is concentrated. The cost of offshore wind has halved in just two to three years and is now cheaper than nuclear and coal, while creating tens of thousands of jobs nationwide, the Rampion team said.
Rampion 2 is being developed by RWE. An agreement for lease with The Crown Estate – managers of the seabed – has been signed.