RWE Shrinks Atlantic Array Windfarm

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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland) -- Public outcry has contributed to the decision by German energy company, RWE AG (OTC:RWEOY) (Essen, Germany), to drastically reduce the size of its proposed Atlantic Array windfarm off the coast of Wales.

The U.K. arm of the energy company, RWE npower Renewables (Swindon, England), has announced that it will reduce the number of turbines at the offshore windfarm by 139. This leaves 278 turbines, a reduction of more than one-third from the original 417 planned. Atlantic Array, which is to be located in the Bristol Channel, is one of the largest Round 3 windfarms planned in the U.K., with an original generating capacity of up to 1,500 megawatts (MW).

Atlantic Array is also being moved further away from the Welsh coast to a distance of 22.5 kilometres (Km), up from 16Km. RWE is hoping that the changes will help speed the revised application through the planning process.

According to the company, its environmental assessments "highlighted an area of higher ecological activity to the north west of the windfarm site and ongoing engineering studies have provided us with information on engineering constraints... including seabed conditions, water depth, and safe access to the windfarm area for construction, operations and maintenance boats and technicians".

"After taking full consideration of environmental and engineering factors, and in response to the feedback from the public, we have revised the proposed offshore wind farm boundary and made alterations to the maximum number of turbines," explained Atlantic Array development manager for RWE npower, Robert Thornhill. "These revisions will mean any potential visual and environmental effects of the wind farm will be reduced."

RWE said that the reduced number of 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. There is an option to use 278 turbines rated at 3.6 MW yielding a generating capacity of around 1,000 MW, or use 5 MW turbines to boost generation to 1,390 MW.

Thornhill said: "Following requests by the public to undertake a second round of informal consultation, we will be holding events along the south Wales coast in July and August to give the local communities an opportunity to find out more about the changes to the wind farm and view photo montages which will show the revised wind farm design."

RWE will submit the new application to the Planning Inspectorate by the end of the year.

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