February 29, 2012
England

288-turbine Triton Knoll wind farm plan for Mablethorpe coast moves forward

East Coast Target, www.thisislincolnshire.co.uk 29 February 2012

Proposals for a new wind farm off the coast of Mablethorpe have moved forward for consideration.

The Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) has formally accepted an application by RWE npower renewables for the 1200 megawatt Triton Knoll development.

The plans will now be thoroughly examined and if approved, the site will be built 33 kilometres off the Lincolnshire coast and could include up to 288 wind turbines.

The application was submitted for consideration to the IPC on January 31 which then had 28 days to decide whether adequate consultation and reports had been carried out to support the proposals.

Triton Knoll project manager, Jacob Hain, said: “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.

“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 £3-million.

“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.”

The Planning Act 2008, which established the IPC, places a strong duty upon developers to undertake a great deal of preparatory work before submitting an application, involving the local community, local authorities and other stakeholders.

Operations director for the IPC, Ian Gambles, said: “After careful consideration we have decided that the application submitted by Triton Knoll Offshore Windfarm Ltd met the required tests set out in the legislation to be accepted for IPC examination.”

A final decision is likely to be made in another 12 months time.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/02/29/288-turbine-triton-knoll-wind-farm-plan-for-mablethorpe-coast-moves-forward/