News
A wind farm up to 150 times bigger than the world’s current largest wind farm, including an artificial island complete with airstrip and harbour, could be built on Dogger Bank, according to new plans.
• North Sea wind farm • Robot ships • Fishing gear entanglements • Piracy rise
A German, Dutch and Danish consortium has proposed the concept, which could produce enough electricity for up to 100 million people.
In comparison to the 175-turbine London Array, currently the world’s largest offshore wind farm (100km2 or 39 square miles), which produces 0.63GW of electricity, the new wind farm could initially produce 30GW of power, and could be extended to produce 150GW. The first ‘Power Links Island’ could be complete in under 20 years by 2035, with the wind farm operating at full capacity by 2050, according to developer TenneT TSO.
A consortium including TenneT TSO and Energinet signed an agreement in March for the development of a large renewable electricitygenerating system in the North Sea.
The project includes an island to act as a connection point for thousands of wind turbines. A site on the Dogger Bank is considered ideal for its shallow waters, optimal wind conditions and central location to transmit power to the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, and Norway.
Torben Glar Nielsen, chief technology officer at Energinet, said: ‘Building one or more artificial islands in the middle of the North Sea sounds like science fiction, but it could actually be a very efficient and affordable way for the North Sea countries to meet the future demand for more renewable electricity.’
An environmental survey concluded that the project would create ‘both opportunities and potential risks for animals and biodiversity’.
North Sea sailor and author Alastair Buchan felt the project could put sailors in serious danger: ‘The harbour will be set up for huge service vessels and it may be impossible for a yacht to get in. Even if the wind farm and island are well marked, a yacht could easily blown down onto them in bad weather. Sometimes the only option is to run before the wind and waves, but this wind farm could make that highly dangerous. The project has serious foreseeable problems, but sailors probably won’t be taken into account and will just have to navigate extremely cautiously.’
RYA cruising manager Stuart Carruthers said: ‘The RYA is a member of the Nautical and Offshore Renewable Energy Liaison (NOREL) group, which works to ensure that commercial shipping and recreational boats successfully coexist with the offshore renewable energy industries.
'Current cruising routes on the North Sea are lightly used and navigation traffic surveys demonstrate this. If these plans do go ahead, there will be a full round of planning and consultation, where concerns can be raised.’
A Cruising Association spokesperson said: ‘While this proposal has alarming features, consultation requirements mean that the proposals can only be regarded as very vague at present. The CA nearly always logs a formal objection to permanent constructions on the seabed since they represent an obstruction to the international right of freedom of navigation on the seas. Nevertheless, we recognise the need for renewable power and will take a full part in negotiations and discussions.’
‘Sailors will just have to make allowance and navigate cautiously’