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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland) -- One of Europe's largest green energy projects is to be delayed by up to six months following a decision by German energy company, RWE AG (OTC:RWEOY) (Essen, Germany).
The company has announced that it will not be seeking planning permission for the massive Atlantic Array offshore windfarm in the Bristol Channel in England this year, deferring the decision until sometime next Spring. It said the decision was take to "give full consideration" to all the feedback generated by the latest consultation round, which concluded at the end of August.
This is the second blow to the proposed Atlantic Array project, which was originally aiming to erect 417 turbines off the North Devon coast in the Bristol Channel. Following the first round of consultation, the company decided this summer to reduce the size of the project by over one third by cutting the number of turbines by 139 to 278. According to RWE, the lower number of more powerful turbines will allow for greater spacing between them, decreasing the density of the windfarm array. There are no changes planned for the sizes of turbines that might be used, which range from 3.6 MW up to 8 MW. RWE said there is an option to use 278 turbines rated at 3.6 MW yielding a generating capacity of around 1,000-megawatts (MW), or use 5 MW turbines to boost generation to 1,390 MW. For additional information, see June 6, 2012, article - RWE Shrinks Atlantic Array Windfarm.
"The latest consultation period closed on August 31st this year, but we received a number of responses from statutory bodies, interested parties and the public after this date," explained Craig Harwood, Atlantic Array Development Manager for RWE. "In order to give reasonable consideration to all the responses we have received, both during the consultation period in the summer and afterwards, we've decided to submit the planning application during the spring of 2013. This will mean we can consider all of the feedback thoroughly before submitting our application. We would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to join in with our consultation on the Atlantic Array Offshore Wind Farm."
The U.K. is home to the world's largest offshore windfarm, the 630-MW London Array project located in the Thames Estuary in England. The windfarm started generating its first electricity at the end of last month and will be fully commissioned by the end of this year. For additional information, see November 1, 2012, article - First Power from World's Largest Offshore Windfarm.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, and eight offices outside of North America, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.
The company has announced that it will not be seeking planning permission for the massive Atlantic Array offshore windfarm in the Bristol Channel in England this year, deferring the decision until sometime next Spring. It said the decision was take to "give full consideration" to all the feedback generated by the latest consultation round, which concluded at the end of August.
This is the second blow to the proposed Atlantic Array project, which was originally aiming to erect 417 turbines off the North Devon coast in the Bristol Channel. Following the first round of consultation, the company decided this summer to reduce the size of the project by over one third by cutting the number of turbines by 139 to 278. According to RWE, the lower number of more powerful turbines will allow for greater spacing between them, decreasing the density of the windfarm array. There are no changes planned for the sizes of turbines that might be used, which range from 3.6 MW up to 8 MW. RWE said there is an option to use 278 turbines rated at 3.6 MW yielding a generating capacity of around 1,000-megawatts (MW), or use 5 MW turbines to boost generation to 1,390 MW. For additional information, see June 6, 2012, article - RWE Shrinks Atlantic Array Windfarm.
"The latest consultation period closed on August 31st this year, but we received a number of responses from statutory bodies, interested parties and the public after this date," explained Craig Harwood, Atlantic Array Development Manager for RWE. "In order to give reasonable consideration to all the responses we have received, both during the consultation period in the summer and afterwards, we've decided to submit the planning application during the spring of 2013. This will mean we can consider all of the feedback thoroughly before submitting our application. We would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to join in with our consultation on the Atlantic Array Offshore Wind Farm."
The U.K. is home to the world's largest offshore windfarm, the 630-MW London Array project located in the Thames Estuary in England. The windfarm started generating its first electricity at the end of last month and will be fully commissioned by the end of this year. For additional information, see November 1, 2012, article - First Power from World's Largest Offshore Windfarm.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, and eight offices outside of North America, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.
