E.ON Pulls Rampion U.K. Offshore Windfarm Application

Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland) -- E.ON U.K. has pulled its application for a 700-megawatt (MW) windfarm off the southern coast of England just weeks after submitting it.

In a letter to the Planning Inspectorate, the company claimed that it wanted more time to carry out extra consultation work on the proposed Rampion offshore windfarm, with a view to resubmitting an application sometime next month.

"Having reviewed the situation and taken advice on the materiality of these omissions in conjunction with discussions with the project team has had with [the Planning Inspectorate], E.ON has fully committed to address these points prior to the secretary of state making his decision on whether to accept the application for examination," the letter stated.

An E.ON spokeswoman said: "We want the application to be complete before the Planning Inspectorate decides whether to accept it and the only way to do this is to withdraw it and resubmit again as soon as we are ready. We remain completely committed to the project, but wish to take extra time now to maintain our comprehensive approach to consultation."

Located 13 kilometres (Km) off the Sussex coast at its nearest point, Rampion will be capable of generating enough power for approximately 450,000 homes. Just last month, E.ON announced that it was reducing the scale of the project to help speed the project through the planning process with the support of concerned local groups.

Following public consultation, the company addressed issues including the visual impact of the windfarm from the Sussex Heritage Coast, the impact on fishermen and sea users and the impact of the onshore cable route on the South Downs National Park. As a result, it reduced the windfarm area by half that originally awarded by The Crown Estate in January 2010.

It has also agreed to reduce the maximum of turbines to 175, down from the original 195. The project could feature between 100 and 175 turbines, depending on the model selected.

Chris Tomlinson, E.ON Development Manager for the project, said: "We're very grateful for the level of interest the local community have shown in this project. Having considered their feedback and taken on board their views, we've made some significant changes to improve our proposals that will reduce the impact on the local community, while maintaining a project capable of generating electricity for the needs of two thirds of the homes in Sussex."

Last October, E.ON announced that it had chosen Newhaven Port as its base of operations and maintenance for the Rampion project. The deal will see the creation of up to 85 permanent jobs and will require part of Newhaven Port being modernised and redeveloped to support office space, equipment storage and vessel mooring for windfarm construction and ongoing maintenance. For additional information, see October 9, 2012, article - EON's Round 3 Offshore Windfarm Advances.

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