
Eneco have announced the location of the round 3 offshore wind park located off the Hampshire and Dorset coasts and to the west of the Isle of Wight.
About the location of the wind park:
At the closest point, the wind park will be 8.2 miles (13.2km) away from Peveril Point in Swanage. The northern boundary of the site is located 10.2 miles (16.4km) from Bournemouth and 8.4 miles (13.5km) south west of The Needles and the Isle of Wight coast.
The Zone Appraisal and Planning (ZAP) process:
The decision on the wind park location was reached after Eneco conducted a Zone Appraisal and Planning (ZAP) process in accordance with guidance from The Crown Estate. This is a new non-statutory strategic planning process designed to give developers a view of their zone as a whole. In order to make the decision, feedback from meetings with stakeholders throughout the year and from public information days held in November 2010 was incorporated. Additionally, findings from engineering and environmental surveys also influenced the final location.
Next steps:
Now that the location of the wind park has been identified, Eneco will be holding a series of information days in March 2011 to communicate the results of the ZAP to the general public. These will be held at the following venues:
Weymouth: Pavilion Theatre – Wednesday 16th March 2011
Poole: RNLI Lifeboat College – Thursday 17th March 2011
Newport, Isle of Wight: Quay Arts Centre – Wednesday 23rd March 2011
Lymington: Lymington Community Centre – Thursday 24th March 2011
Christchurch: Regent Centre – Friday 25th March 2011
Bournemouth: Pavilion Theatre – Wednesday 30th March 2011
Swanage: Mowlem Theatre – Thursday 31stMarch 2011
A separate appraisal process is also underway to identify the most feasible cable route to connect the wind park to the National Grid. At present three possible locations have been identified at Chickerell (in Weymouth), Mannington (near Ringwood) and Fawley (near the oil refinery). Consultation on the onshore infrastructure will take place in June 2011. Additionally, the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) will begin from May 2011.
In the email below you should find a press release with further information about the location of the offshore wind park.
Attached to this email you should find an image showing where Eneco will be developing within the zone marked out in green
For further information please contact the Eneco press office on 0845 050 3700, email:eneco@mistral-pr.co.ukor visit www.enecowindoffshore.co.uk