January 19, 2011
England

£100m county wind farm project could be moved to ‘a more suitable site’

Lincolnshire Echo, www.thisislincolnshire.co.uk 19 January 2011

An energy company has halted its consultation on a £100 million Lincolnshire wind farm substation after being told better sites may lie elsewhere.

In 2009, the National Grid told RWE npower, developer of the £3.6 billion Triton Knoll project 33km off the Lincolnshire coast, that it would connect the turbines up to the electricity network somewhere in East Lindsey.

So in September 2010 the firm began a consultation on four potential 40-acre sites which drew opposition from residents and MP Sir Peter Tapsell.

Now the National Grid has informed RWE it has found suitable sites elsewhere and the company has put its plans on hold.

Development manager, Jacob Hain, said “As a responsible developer, we feel it is right to put our current substation work on hold until National Grid can confirm whether the connection point still lies within East Lindsey or moves elsewhere.”

The decision comes only days after residents heard the shortlist of potential sites for the project had been narrowed to two – to the north and south of Welton le Marsh, near Skegness.

Local resident Dr John Yeadon said he was glad to hear the plans were on hold, but feared the delay was merely “to lull locals into a false sense of security”.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/01/19/100m-county-wind-farm-project-could-be-moved-to-a-more-suitable-site/