MY littlebirchwoo
Well-Known Member
Please forgive me for reproducing this article, but with just days to go before the public consultation closes for the first phase - East Anglia ONE, I would urge all boaters to look most carefully at the proposals - Especially if based near the East Coast. There are many questions that simply have not been answered, and bare in mind this is only one of many new windfarms being built along the East Coast.
Whilst good news for East Anglian based marine and offshore service companies, the proposal to build what will become one of the World’s largest offshore windfarms off the coast of Norfolk and Suffolk is raising a few very important questions from others – and the time to ‘have your say’ is running out!
The contract to develop the East Anglian offshore windfarm zone has been awarded to a joint venture of ScottishPower Renewables, and massive Scandinavian windfarm operator Vattenfall, operating under the name ‘East Anglain Offshore Wind Limited’ (EAOW). In line with current planning legislation, they have published their preliminary environmental impact information as part of the second phase of the approval process for the initial development of the proposed six-windfarm plan – East Anglia ONE.
However, concerns are now being raised as to the full impact of the construction of this windfarm. Leisure boaters in particular, who seem to have been ignored thus far, have expressed concern that this area will certainly become ‘out of bounds’ to all vessels and increase the levels of commercial shipping around them. With the added construction craft and service vessels, added to the imminent closure of Great Yarmouth Coastguard station, some local boaters fear the East Coast may become ‘landlocked for windfarms’ except for the occasional and busy transit corridor.
Local land owners also, both in the proposed ‘on-shore’ development areas and adjoining areas, are alarmed that there seems to be an anomoly in the planning corridor for the proposed landfall and routing of the cables.
The energy companies have their own specialist company dealing with landowners, who, under the Planning Act 2008 have mostly been notified of their intentions, as once the cables are landed, they will then need to build a substantial sytem to route them to the proposed mega-hub at Bramford near Ipswich, where the generated power will be passed into the National Grid. Already residents from area of the proposed ‘prefered’ landfall at Bawdsey, and along the proposed corridor route, are questioning how much of their land they will lose once the statutory power of purchase and/or use is put into practice.
In essence, once the cables are ‘landed’ they will have to be then converted to ‘land based’ cables before going through a network of specially contructed ducts and trunking, complete with necessary converter stations and inspection tunnels built along the ‘corridor’.
A massive question is now being asked of EAOW; Is this actually the route that will be used?
There has long been speculation, proven by previous windfarm projects, as to whether the Bawdsey area would be suitable as it does not support the most direct or easiest routing.
When a cable is ‘landed’ it needs to have the easiest path to where it will be converted to land based cables. If it’s route is hindered then substantial engineering to facilitate the cable-laying may have to take place. Hinderances such as sea defences, like those found in felixstowe and Bawdsey around the former RAF Bloodhound missile and bunker site, mean that considerable weakening may occur where the breach is made and would result in a major project to reinstate them.
Historically windfarm builders have chosen a far easier route to shore, and in the Preliminary Environmental Impact (PEI) information one oddity has been noticed by a number of local residents: The cable routing is allowing for a possible landing at Felixstowe Ferry. If this were to be chosen as a landing point, it would provide a far more direct route to the mega-hub at Bramford. It would also allow an easier landing of the cables but would also mean that a trench would ultimately be constructed across the area of the ‘Ferry’ itself – including it’s historic links golf course!
The published ‘prefered’ corridor runs from Bawdsey, crosses the River Deben then proceeds onwards to the Bramford hub but this is certainly not set in stone. Residents in the Felixstowe Ferry area are now seeking reassurances and asking: Why this possibility appears on the published proposal documents?
Concerns are also being raised by boaters, firstly those that use the River Deben as there have been no reassurances as to how the cable should be laid across the river. Only recently a notice to mariners was issued warning of a concrete berm that had been laid across a cable from the London Array causing a major hazzard to vessels in the Thames Estuary, and here in a river, where only a narrow window for navigation due to depth and tides is available, more details are being sought as to how the river will be crossed with the cable just north of Falkenham marshes.
The zone itself, which at it’s closest point of just 14 km to the shore, will occupy an area of 6,000 square kilometres. The initial East Anglia ONE phase alone will occupy 300 square kiliometres with a possiblity of 333 turbines being built as well as a number of offshore platforms.
Work on this phase is expected to start in 2015 with completion in 2018 and be part of a rolling program until the complete area, comprising of many thousands of turbines, has been fully developed. This development is just one of many planned off the East Anglain coastline.
With many vessels currently transiting this proposed development area, leisure boaters are now asking what the larger commercial traffic will do? Will it be transiting far nearer the coast thereby increasing the risk of collision? And also with the UK’s only ship-to-ship oil transfer area off the coast of Southwold coming on-line from 1st April 2012, are the risks of a major incident just increasing exponentially?
The East Anglian coastline is getting much busier, and whilst many are pleased that the marine industry is now flourishing thanks to renewable energy where it had previously been decimated as the fishing fleets hung up their nets, what is not being understood is the true cost and impact to leisure boating and the long term benefit of an energy source that is becoming ever more expensive to generate.
The phase two consultation process runs until 30th March 2012 and full details of the East Anglia ONE project and how you can have your say can be found below.
Full article: http://eastcoastboating.co.uk/wordpress/?p=1118
Consultation Link: http://eastangliawind.com
Whilst good news for East Anglian based marine and offshore service companies, the proposal to build what will become one of the World’s largest offshore windfarms off the coast of Norfolk and Suffolk is raising a few very important questions from others – and the time to ‘have your say’ is running out!
The contract to develop the East Anglian offshore windfarm zone has been awarded to a joint venture of ScottishPower Renewables, and massive Scandinavian windfarm operator Vattenfall, operating under the name ‘East Anglain Offshore Wind Limited’ (EAOW). In line with current planning legislation, they have published their preliminary environmental impact information as part of the second phase of the approval process for the initial development of the proposed six-windfarm plan – East Anglia ONE.
However, concerns are now being raised as to the full impact of the construction of this windfarm. Leisure boaters in particular, who seem to have been ignored thus far, have expressed concern that this area will certainly become ‘out of bounds’ to all vessels and increase the levels of commercial shipping around them. With the added construction craft and service vessels, added to the imminent closure of Great Yarmouth Coastguard station, some local boaters fear the East Coast may become ‘landlocked for windfarms’ except for the occasional and busy transit corridor.
Local land owners also, both in the proposed ‘on-shore’ development areas and adjoining areas, are alarmed that there seems to be an anomoly in the planning corridor for the proposed landfall and routing of the cables.
The energy companies have their own specialist company dealing with landowners, who, under the Planning Act 2008 have mostly been notified of their intentions, as once the cables are landed, they will then need to build a substantial sytem to route them to the proposed mega-hub at Bramford near Ipswich, where the generated power will be passed into the National Grid. Already residents from area of the proposed ‘prefered’ landfall at Bawdsey, and along the proposed corridor route, are questioning how much of their land they will lose once the statutory power of purchase and/or use is put into practice.
In essence, once the cables are ‘landed’ they will have to be then converted to ‘land based’ cables before going through a network of specially contructed ducts and trunking, complete with necessary converter stations and inspection tunnels built along the ‘corridor’.
A massive question is now being asked of EAOW; Is this actually the route that will be used?
There has long been speculation, proven by previous windfarm projects, as to whether the Bawdsey area would be suitable as it does not support the most direct or easiest routing.
When a cable is ‘landed’ it needs to have the easiest path to where it will be converted to land based cables. If it’s route is hindered then substantial engineering to facilitate the cable-laying may have to take place. Hinderances such as sea defences, like those found in felixstowe and Bawdsey around the former RAF Bloodhound missile and bunker site, mean that considerable weakening may occur where the breach is made and would result in a major project to reinstate them.
Historically windfarm builders have chosen a far easier route to shore, and in the Preliminary Environmental Impact (PEI) information one oddity has been noticed by a number of local residents: The cable routing is allowing for a possible landing at Felixstowe Ferry. If this were to be chosen as a landing point, it would provide a far more direct route to the mega-hub at Bramford. It would also allow an easier landing of the cables but would also mean that a trench would ultimately be constructed across the area of the ‘Ferry’ itself – including it’s historic links golf course!
The published ‘prefered’ corridor runs from Bawdsey, crosses the River Deben then proceeds onwards to the Bramford hub but this is certainly not set in stone. Residents in the Felixstowe Ferry area are now seeking reassurances and asking: Why this possibility appears on the published proposal documents?
Concerns are also being raised by boaters, firstly those that use the River Deben as there have been no reassurances as to how the cable should be laid across the river. Only recently a notice to mariners was issued warning of a concrete berm that had been laid across a cable from the London Array causing a major hazzard to vessels in the Thames Estuary, and here in a river, where only a narrow window for navigation due to depth and tides is available, more details are being sought as to how the river will be crossed with the cable just north of Falkenham marshes.
The zone itself, which at it’s closest point of just 14 km to the shore, will occupy an area of 6,000 square kilometres. The initial East Anglia ONE phase alone will occupy 300 square kiliometres with a possiblity of 333 turbines being built as well as a number of offshore platforms.
Work on this phase is expected to start in 2015 with completion in 2018 and be part of a rolling program until the complete area, comprising of many thousands of turbines, has been fully developed. This development is just one of many planned off the East Anglain coastline.
With many vessels currently transiting this proposed development area, leisure boaters are now asking what the larger commercial traffic will do? Will it be transiting far nearer the coast thereby increasing the risk of collision? And also with the UK’s only ship-to-ship oil transfer area off the coast of Southwold coming on-line from 1st April 2012, are the risks of a major incident just increasing exponentially?
The East Anglian coastline is getting much busier, and whilst many are pleased that the marine industry is now flourishing thanks to renewable energy where it had previously been decimated as the fishing fleets hung up their nets, what is not being understood is the true cost and impact to leisure boating and the long term benefit of an energy source that is becoming ever more expensive to generate.
The phase two consultation process runs until 30th March 2012 and full details of the East Anglia ONE project and how you can have your say can be found below.
Full article: http://eastcoastboating.co.uk/wordpress/?p=1118
Consultation Link: http://eastangliawind.com
