Planning Consent Allows for Next Generation Turbines at East Anglia Three Offshore Windfarm

Glasgow, Scotland - ScottishPower Renewables has received planning approval from the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), Greg Clark MP, for the East Anglia THREE offshore windfarm with an output capacity of up to 1,200 megawatts (MW).

According to ScottishPower, the planning consent will allow for the installation of larger and more efficient ‘next generation’ turbines, up to a tip height of 247 metres. This is two-and-a-half times the size of Big Ben (96 metres). To be built 69 kilometres off the coast of Norfolk, the windfarm could produce enough electricity to power the annual demands of nearly one million homes. East Anglia Three will cover an area of up to 305 square kilometres and will require up to 172 wind turbines to build the full capacity.

ScottishPower Renewables believes that next generation technology will help to ensure that offshore wind is one of the cheapest forms of low carbon electricity. The company’s East Anglia One scheme is the best value project to go in to construction in the UK (£119 MW/h), and costs are expected to reduce even further in future auctions.

Keith Anderson, CEO of ScottishPower Renewables, said: “Offshore wind has delivered on its promises from the outset. Our sector has met every technical and political challenge, grown the UK’s supply chain, and improved the technology at a rapid pace to allow projects to be deployed in ever harsher conditions. At the same time, the level of cost reductions achieved would more commonly be seen in consumer electronics. In a little over a decade, our sector has delivered substantial amounts of green electricity for the UK, supported billions of pounds of UK investment and created thousands of high quality jobs.”

ScottishPower Renewables is currently delivering the East Anglia ONE project, which has a capacity of 714 MW and is due to be fully operational in 2020. The company is developing four projects in total in the area, with a capacity of 3,500 MW.

Source: IWR Online, Aug 08 2017