Eneco and EDF cut down 1.2GW UK Round 3 project

UK: Eneco and EDF Energy are to cut back the number of turbines at the Round 3 Navitus Bay project by up to a third as part of a series of changes to the wind farm off England's south coast.

by Staff 12 December 2012

A rendering showing how the project will look from Swanage Bay, Dorset

The project will be sited further off the Dorset coast, with both its capacity and area reduced. The net effect will be a significant reduction in the wind farm's visual impact from the shore.

Navitus Bay is a 50-50 joint venture between energy companies Eneco Wind UK and EDF Energy. Eneco was awarded the rights to develop the West of Wight zone in January 2010, before forming the joint venture with EDF Energy in April 2012.

The partners still plan to build the Navitus Bay win farm off the Dorset and Hampshire coast and to the west of the Isle of Wight. But four key changes to the plans have now been announced:
  • The project boundary has been moved further away from the shore, so that it is now more than 3 kilometres further from Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
  • The maximum number of turbines has been cut from 333 to 218. The turbine options have been narrowed and they will be shorter, at up to 200 metres instead of 210
  • The project's maximum capacity has been reduced by 8%, from 1.2GW to 1.1GW putting the maximum turbine size in the 5MW bracket
  • The development area has been reduced by 12%, from 198 square kilometres to 175 square kilometres
Commenting on the revised plans, Mike Unsworth, Navitus Bay's project director, said they struck "a good balance between responses that we have had from consultees and the technical viability from an environmental, engineering, shipping and commercial perspective".

The announced changes follow discussions with statutory consultees and local communities. Keith Moss, deputy project director at Navitus Bay, said they were a result of a "commitment to genuine consultation".

A fresh round of consultation events will take place in February in Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

Subject to planning and gaining consent, construction could commence in 2017. First power is envisaged by 2019, with the full capacity coming online by 2020 or 2021.