Thanet Extension offshore wind farm Keeping you informed Kentish Flats Extension Welcome to the latest Thanet Extension Offshore Wind Farm Project Newsletter What s in this newsletter: We first contacted you in January 2017 to begin discussions with you on a proposed extension to Thanet Offshore Wind Farm. We thank all who have taken the time to get involved in our informal consultation. We are now writing to inform you that the statutory consultation phase (a requirement of the Planning Act 2008) of the project will start soon. In this newsletter you can find out the latest project news, key project changes, and find out how and where you can get involved with the consultation. Statutory consultation for this project starts on the 27th November 2017. Please read on. The statutory consultation Project update How to get involved Report from Ramsgate Working on the wind farm
The statutory consultation Formal pre-application consultation is an important phase in the project. We have now compiled the results of our surveys and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) into a Preliminary Environmental Information Report (PEIR). Our technical team have considered the results and what they might mean for the project design and we have decided on the areas (shown on page 3) within which we propose to site wind turbines and other wind farm components onshore/offshore cables, temporary construction work areas, the onshore substation and connection to the electricity network, and an offshore substation (in the event this is required) everything we need to build an offshore wind farm. The PEIR will be available online from the 27th November and will be available to view as a hard copy at the deposit locations listed on page 6. The PEIR describes our assessment work, results so far, and how our understanding of the potential impacts has shaped the project design so far. This information will be reviewed by a wide range of consultees who are advising Vattenfall on the development of the project. The PEIR also describes the design options Vattenfall hope to obtain permission for, and which are assessed by the EIA. It s important to note that whilst some design options are shown within the PEIR, they do not represent the final project design at this stage. The Development Consent Order that Vattenfall hope to obtain for the project will contain various requirements that Vattenfall must comply with when finalising the project design for construction and operation. What is assessed in the EIA and presented in the PEIR is what is known as the worst case scenario for each part of the project for example, the offshore seascape, landscape and visual impact assessment presents the largest turbine size Vattenfall could install, with wind turbines positioned within the development area closest to shore. In reality, this layout may be different, but by using the worst case scenario approach, we can be sure the visual impact will be no greater than what is presented. The consultation will run from 27th November 2017 to 12th January 2018. We hope you are able to get involved. Some of you may have already taken part in previous rounds of consultation. Some things have changed, so it s important that you take another look and provide your feedback to us. Consultation 2
Figure 1: Thanet Extension Offshore Wind Farm Offshore Red Line Boundary for pre-application consultation Figure 2: Detailed Thanet Extension Offshore Wind Farm Onshore Red Line Boundary for pre-application consultation 3
What s been happening Project update from Helen Jameson, the Project Manager Since we introduced the project and published a Scoping Report early in 2017, we have used the feedback provided by The Planning Inspectorate and a wide range of stakeholders, including Thanet s local communities, to refine the project design for the EIA and statutory consultation stage. Project figures Number of turbines: up to 34 We now have a much clearer understanding of those key issues our stakeholders wish us to focus on in the next development stage, as well as what they feel we have done well over the past 12 months. The feedback from local communities has been encouraging, with over 60% in principle supporting the idea of an extension. One of the key issues raised with us has been concern regarding shipping and navigational safety. This is a high priority for us, and Vattenfall has been working closely with the Port of London Authority in recent months to understand any potential interactions between Thanet Extension and local pilotage operations. A number of studies have been completed, including a pilot transfer bridge simulation, which will inform a Navigational Risk Assessment (NRA) to be submitted alongside the DCO application. More details can be found in the PEIR Shipping and Navigation Chapter if you would like to know more. Those of you with a particular interest in the onshore design aspects will see some significant developments since the Scoping Report was published. A preferred onshore substation site has been identified at Richborough Port, and preferred cable landfall at Pegwell Bay. There are two options being considered for routing cables onshore from landfall to the substation site, one of which has been introduced following discussions with Pegwell Bay Country Park stakeholders. Details of the landfall/onshore cable route appraisal and environmental sensitivities considered during this decision making process can be found in the PEIR. The other important change is that we are now talking about a wider range of potential turbine layouts. Previously we talked to you about up to 34 turbines, with a maximum height of 210 metres to blade tip. This is still the upper limit in terms of numbers of turbines, but we are also now considering the possibility of installing a smaller number of larger turbines. This would mean a similar amount of electricity generating capacity could be delivered with fewer total turbines We ll have some visuals available at local events for you to see some of the potential options. Thank you again to everyone who has taken part in our consultation activities so far, and I look forward to meeting more of you later this year and into 2018. Installed capacity: up to 340MW Turbine size (capacity and height range): Maximum height 250 m (individual turbine capacity dependent on technology, 10MW and 12MW assumptions used as basis for EIA and illustrated in PEIR) Cables onshore (number and length): up to 4 circuits, each comprised of 3 individual cables (12 cables in total), either trenched or surface lay and cover Onshore cable route distance of ~2.5 km Cables offshore (number and length): Four cables at 28 km maximum distance Landfall location: Pegwell Bay Grid connection and substation: Substation at Richborough Port, up to two 400kV connection cables between substation and grid connection at Richborough Energy Park (substation) 4
How can you get involved? Public Information Days Date / Time 5th Dec 2017 14:00-19:00 Venue Royal Temple Yacht Club 6 Westcliff Mansions, Ramsgate, Kent CT11 9HY We have now published our Statement of Community Consultation, which explains how you can get involved. This is available on our website and at the deposit locations. We will be in some local venues with high footfall holding pop up sessions, where you can pick up a Project Booklet and Feedback Form. All the information is available on our website too, and our Local Liaison Officer, Mel Rogers, is also available to come to local sessions to meet you. Why get involved This is an important project, which will be visible from the shore. You have the chance to help shape it We also want to hear how we can make sure this investment brings positive benefits locally. What should we be prioritising? Please come along to meet the team, see the proposals and discuss with us at a Public Information Day. 6th Dec 2017 14:00-18:00 7th Dec 2017 14:00-19:00 8th Dec 2017 14:00-19:00 9th Dec 2017 13th Dec 2017 14:00-19:00 6th Jan 2018 Pop Up Events Date / Time 12th Dec 2017 10:00-14:30 13th Dec 2017 14th Dec 2017 18th Dec 2017 5th Jan 2018 7th Jan 2018 8th Jan 2018 9th Jan 2018 Queens Road Baptist 2 Queens Road, Broadstairs, Kent, CT10 1NU The Turner Contemporary Rendezvous, Margate, Kent, CT9 1HG The Guildhall Cattle Market, Sandwich, Kent, CT13 9AH Cliffsend Village Hall Foads Lane, Cliffsend, CT12 5JH The Astor Theatre Stanhope Road, Deal, CT14 6AB The Botany Bay Hotel The Kingsgate Function Room, Marine Drive, Kingsgate, Broadstairs, Kent, CT10 3LG Venue Innovation House (reception area), Discovery Park, Ramsgate Road, Sandwich, CT13 9FF The Co-op 27 Park Street, Deal, CT14 6AG Bettshanger Park Sandwich Road, Deal, CT14 0BF The Co-op 78-80 Station Road, Birchington, CT7 9RA The Co-op Moat Sole Road, Sandwich, CT13 9AL The Community Hub (next to Claire s Accessories), Westwood Cross Shopping Centre, 23 Margate Rd, Broadstairs, CT10 2BF Wilkos 21-31 York St, Ramsgate, CT11 9DS Tesco Metro 25 High Street, Broadstairs, CT10 1LP 5
Project Booklets will also be available at the deposit locations where you can also view the full PEIR report: Local Deposit Locations (to view the full Preliminary Environmental Information Report) Venue Birchington Library 17 Alpha Rd, Birchington, Kent, CT7 9EG Opening hours: 9am to 6pm weekdays (closed Wednesday. Saturday: 10am to 2pm. Cliffsend Village Hall Foads Lane, Cliffsend, CT12 5JH Please contact Melanie Rogers on 07817 944359 to make an appointment. Margate Library Cecil Street, Margate, CT9 1RE Opening hours: 9am to 6pm weekdays (except Thurs: 9am to 8pm). Saturday: 9pm to 5pm. Broadstairs Library The Broadway, Broadstairs, CT10 2BS Opening hours: 9am to 6pm weekdays (except Thurs: 9am to 8pm). Saturday: 9pm to 5pm. Ramsgate Library 2 Guildford Lawn, Ramsgate, CT11 9AY Opening hours: 9am to 6pm weekdays. Saturday: 9am to 5pm. Vattenfall Wind Power Limited Military Road, Ramsgate, CT11 9LG Please contact Melanie Rogers on 07817 944359 to make an appointment. Sandwich Library 13 Market Street, Sandwich, CT13 9DA Opening hours: 9am to 5pm. Wednesdays and Saturday 9am to 1pm. Dover Gateway White Cliffs Business Park, Dover, CT16 3PJ Opening hours: Monday to Friday 9am to 12pm, 2pm to 5pm. Dover Library Market Square, Dover, CT16 1NX Opening hours: 9am to 6pm weekdays (Wednesdays: 9am to 8pm). Saturday: 9pm to 5pm. Deal Library 5 Broad Street, Deal, CT14 6ER Opening hours: 9am to 6pm weekdays. Saturday: 9am to 5pm and Sundays: 10am to 4pm. Canterbury City Council Military Road, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 1YW Kent County Council County Hall, Maidstone, ME14 1XQ Please contact Melanie Rogers on 07817 944359 to make an appointment. Sheerness Library Sheppey Gateway, 38-42, High Street, Sheerness, Kent, ME12 1NL Opening hours: 9am to 6pm weekdays. Saturday: 9pm to 5pm. Essex County Council County Hall, Market Road, Chelmsford, CM1 1QH Please contact Melanie Rogers on 07817 944359 to make an appointment. full electronic copy available) hard copy available full electronic copy available) full electronic copy available) Copy only available on CCC s website www.canterbury.gov.uk/ full electronic copy available) Why taller turbines? Put simply, larger turbines mean cheaper electricity. You may have seen recently that offshore wind s cost has fallen dramatically. At the last round of subsidy contract auctions, the new prices for offshore wind were, on average, 47% lower than they were just over two and half years ago and cheaper than the cost of the 35-year contracts for new nuclear power and new build gas, according to figures from the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. One of the key drivers to cost reduction has been the development of technology and particularly the development of larger machines with longer blades which can capture more energy from the wind. Larger turbines also have the added advantage of requiring fewer machines to generate the same amount of electricity. For example, the existing Thanet Offshore Wind Farm has 100 x 3.0MW turbines, generating a total of 300MW of electricity, Thanet Extension could generate the same amount of electricity with only 30 x 10MW, or 25 x 12MW turbines 6
Report from our team at Ramsgate Melanie Rogers, Local Communications Officer Since our last newsletter and round of events, I ve spent most of my time going to local events and group meetings to talk to you about our current projects and our thinking for the extension. A particular high point was a trip offshore to launch a campaign to celebrate offshore wind farm costs being reduced by 50% over two years something we were proud to assist with. The figurehead for this campaign was Emma Thompson and I was lucky enough to spend a day out at sea with her. The sun was shining and the water shimmering she really did experience Thanet at its best. Emma Thompson and Melanie Rogers I m so glad many of you got in touch to say that you enjoyed our last newsletter, and in particular, reading about our local workforce. We therefore decided to include more of the same in this newsletter, together with some of the events we have been part of since our last newsletter. Happy Global Wind Day Broadstairs Folk Week Broadstairs Water Gala We celebrated this special day with a local school and provided special windmills so we could honour this day in style. Coast Explorer We were pleased to support Broadstairs Folk Week. We held a Paint a Wind Farm competition and we got to meet many young talented artists. Discovery Planet, Cliftonville This event celebrates the best of the English Seaside. Vattenfall joined in this event this year for the first time taking along our Virtual Reality goggles and electrical kits. Pop up events Sandwich Junior School using windmills to find the wind. Several Thanet schools learned about renewable energy at our Coast Explorer sessions and made electricity in the ruins of the Reculver Towers so, a bit of local history too. The event was all about wind power so, how could we refuse. The children were able to mix science and fun and left with a good understanding of how a wind farm makes electricity. We also held several informal pop up events across Thanet a big thank you for those who attended and it was great to hear your ideas and suggestions. 7
WORKING ON THE WIND FARM Working with fishermen and new technology In conjunction with Thanet Fishermens Association, we have set up Succorfish hardware on a number of vessels in the local fleet. The associated software has been specifically designed to meet a growing need for much improved data collection and recording methods within the commercial fishing industry. Modern online technology, used in conjunction with intelligent hardware, has dramatically improved traditional data collection methods for both fishermen and marine authorities. The data collected will help us understand fully the way in which our fishermen work. New technology breaking records Stewart Box harmonising Operations and Maintenance across Europe Our staff don t just stay in Ramsgate The latest addition to our Kent cluster, Kentish Flats Extension, has broken production/availability records during the last contractual year. This indicates that the improvements in technology are leading to improvements in line with industry trends and data. Stewart Box has worked at Vattenfall for five years having previously worked as an Electrician. He is an ex-hereson Secondary School pupil and joined our company as a technician. He was promoted to Service Leader two years ago and is now working on a very important harmonisation project for operations and maintenance Europe-wide. Stewart has also earned the nickname BBC Box having appeared on several TV programmes representing Vattenfall. I am so lucky working in a relatively young and forward thinking industry and never dreamt that I would have so many varied opportunities and experiences working locally not to mention a job which could last for the lifetime of our wind farms. Daryll Hall was born in Dover and started working as a Marine Supervisor for Vattenfall in July 2011. Darryl held this post for three years before working his way up to a Marine Operations Manager. In this role I work across a number of different sites and projects covering the whole of the wind farm lifecycle from development to decommissioning. Working for Vattenfall has provided me with career and personal development, the opportunity to work with different cultures and visit places in Europe I wouldn t necessarily have had the chance to visit otherwise. It s also an opportunity to contribute to renewable energy production within my local community and further afield. Meet a local apprentice Barry Wiseman is a 19 year old Apprentice who works for CWind who operate Vattenfall s crew transfer vessels. Thanks to this amazing opportunity provided by CWind, Barry is hoping to be a fully qualified Marine Engineer at the end of his apprenticeship as well as holding certificates to enable him to become a skipper of his own vessel. At the moment, Barry s attention is on his local job, particularly as he doesn t have far to walk to work in the morning as his family live on a barge in Ramsgate s Royal Harbour. Contact Information: Mel Rogers, Local liaison officer FREEPOST: Vattenfall TEOW Project E info@thanetextension.com T 07817 944359 @VattenfallUK www.vattenfall.co.uk/thanetextension 8