PRESS RELEASE, October 30th 2009

Dudgeon Offshore Wind Limited, a subsidiary of Warwick Energy Limited, is pleased to announce the dates and locations for Public Exhibitions relating to the onshore works for the Dudgeon Offshore Wind Farm (Dudgeon) project, comprising buried cables and an electrical substation. The exhibitions will take place in November 2009 at venues close to the proposed cable route and substation. The exhibitions are intended to inform members of the public about the proposal and to seek feedback before the associated planning applications are finalised and submitted to the Local Planning Authorities.

The onshore cables, required to connect the offshore wind farm to the national electricity network, are proposed to run a total length of 45km from Weybourne Hope on the north Norfolk coast to Little Dunham in the Breckland District of Norfolk. All cables will be buried and no additional pylons or overhead lines are proposed. A new electrical substation is planned underneath the existing overhead power lines south of Little Dunham.

Dudgeon Offshore Wind Limited has already submitted the consent application to the Department of Energy and Climate Change for the offshore elements of the Dudgeon project, which is located over 32km to the north of Cromer and covers an area of 35 square kilometres. That application is still under consideration and could comprise up to 168 wind turbines, up to three offshore substations and subsea export cables to the landfall at Weybourne Hope. If consent is received, the Dudgeon project will deliver up to 560MW of renewable energy by 2013, supplying on average enough electricity for every household in Norfolk.

To complete the development, approval is also required for an onshore cable route and new electrical substation, which are the subject of the forthcoming exhibitions. The exhibitions relating to the offshore works took place in Cromer and Sheringham in February 2009 where responses indicated a 15:1 ratio in support of the proposals from members of the general public.

The following public exhibitions are being held and are open to all members of the public:

• 17th November     Fakenham Parish Church  1pm – 8pm
• 18th November     Necton Rural Community Centre (Village Hall) 12am – 7pm
• 19th November     Holt Community Centre  1pm – 8pm

The displays will include details of the proposed project and photomontages of the substation. Senior company officials and specialist members of the development team will be available to answer questions.

 

Contact:    Mark Petterson             Director, Warwick Energy                               01789 471091

 

Notes to Editors

1. Dudgeon Offshore Wind Limited has carried out a detailed site and route selection process over the last year taking into account the various technical and environmental issues. Over 100 potential substation locations were considered before the site at Little Dunham was chosen.

2. The proposed cable route has been designed to avoid domestic properties as far as possible and is predominantly through agricultural land. Once the cable installation work has been completed the land will be returned to its original use.

3. At around 45km, it is expected to be the longest buried high voltage cable route in the UK. No additional pylons or overhead lines are proposed.

4. Up to eight circuits will be buried to a depth of around 1m for most of the route. A few sensitive stretches of the route (e.g. main river and main road crossings) will be completed using Horizontal Directional Drilling techniques that will allow the installation of the cables to take place under these areas without disturbance to surface features.

5. The Little Dunham substation site is located under the existing overhead lines to the south of the village and will be well screened. Almost half of the area proposed for development will comprise of landscaping and new environmental habitat.

6. The tallest structures in the substation are expected to be 15m high (compared to the 58m of the existing pylons) but most structures will be 5 – 10m high.

7. Once constructed the substation will operate unmanned and will normally be unlit at night.

8. If planning permission is received, the cable installation and the substation construction operations are expected to start in the spring of 2011 and take approximately two years to complete. Every effort will be made to minimise any inconvenience caused, but unfortunately some disturbance must be expected at times for nearby residents.

9. The total cost for the Dudgeon project is expected to be up to £1.3bn. The main construction contracts are intended to be awarded in late 2010 and many local firms will have the opportunity to act as sub-contractors for various aspects of the onshore construction work.

10. It is hoped that the Dudgeon Offshore Wind Farm will be fully operational by the end of 2013 supplying enough renewable energy for approximately 400,000 homes.

11. The UK Government’s energy strategy includes a target to generate 20% of the UK’s electricity needs from renewable sources by 2020. The UK currently only generates around 5% of its electricity from renewable sources but the proposed Dudgeon development, and other offshore wind projects will add significantly to this level. The Dudgeon area alone has the potential to provide over 1% of the UK’s electricity requirements.