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ONSHORE CABLING for OFFSHORE WINDFARMS
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BACKGROUND
Equinor is the largest energy supplier to the UK. It is a Norwegian oil/energy company and is involved in developing wind farms off the East Coast of the UK. The company is proposing to extend their existing Sheringham Shoal and Dudgeon offshore wind farms. These so called “SEP and DEP” extension projects require that new cables be laid to link the wind farms to a new substation near to the existing National Grid Norwich Main Substation at Mangreen. The cabling route proposed will pass through Barford (east end) and close to the east of Wramplingham.
Below is a link showing Onshore works plan - Barford and Wramplingham can be found on pages 32-34.
CURRENT POSITION
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Equinor submitted its application for a Development Consent Order, (DCO), which has now been accepted by the National Planning Inspectorate for examination. Interested parties can register and make a relevant representation. For more details on the process including how to register please click on the link. The registration process will open on 14th October and close on the 14th November. It is clear the company is firmly committed to carrying out the projects in accordance with its original proposals.
https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/application-process/the-process/
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OFFSHORE TRANSMISSION NETWORK (OTN) and the HOLISTIC NETWORK DESIGN (HND)
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In July, National Grid ESO finally published its report on a Pathway to 2030. It came as a complete shock to residents in East Anglia as although East Anglia brings in the most power from windfarms it had been completely ignored in the HND. No suggestion had ever been made that this would happen when the review was set up in 2020. This report has dismayed not only the Norfolk Parishes Movement for an OTN but following the publication by National Grid of its plan to construct a 180 mile additional pylon route from Norwich to London, residents of Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex have formed a very strong protest group, (Essex Suffolk Norfolk Pylons) to fight the project. We are now working very closely with the Pylons group to challenge the HND through our MPs and we believe we can clearly show that there is a better plan which includes an offshore solution.
DOCUMENTS SUBMITTED TO THE PLANNING DIRECTORATE
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All documents can be found on the Planning Inspectorate’s website
Whilst there are are many documents you may find of interest, this link takes you to proposed road closures. Pages 15 - 16 are particularly relevant to Barford and Wramplingham.
HAVE YOUR SAY
1. Register as an interested party and submit your views on specific points in Equinor’s DCO application to the Planning Inspectorate
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2. Write to your MP and ask him to pro-actively support the halting of radial connections in Norfolk in favour of an OTN.