Two new energy projects were given consent today in a double boost to the UK’s energy security.
Minister for Energy, Charles Hendry, gave the green light for a 56MW onshore wind farm on the Ray Estate near Kirkwhelpington, Northumberland and the construction of a 900 MW Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) power station at West Marsh Road, Spalding, Lincolnshire.
Announcing the official consents, Charles Hendry said: “About a quarter of the UK’s generating capacity is due to close by 2018 and we need to ensure that we secure the investment to replace that.
“In securing this investment, energy security will be at the forefront of our minds, and a diverse supply is crucial to that. Today’s announcement is a double boost for our energy security”.
Commenting on the Northumberland wind farm approval, he added: “Wind farms have a key role to play in boosting energy security and cutting carbon emissions, as long as they are well designed and appropriately sited. Developers at Ray expect the wind farm to provide enough green electricity to power around a quarter of Northumberland’s households”.
A key condition to the Spalding gas consent is that sufficient space remains available adjacent to the power station to allow for the retrofit of carbon capture plant at a later date. Waste heat from the Spalding plant could also be harnessed by local users such as the community hospital, and the option for this has been left open.
Although the consent has been granted to AMEC Project Investments Limited, under the
terms of the transaction documents entered into by Vattenfall and AMEC in October 2008
(when AMEC sold its wind development business to Vattenfall), the project is owned by Vattenfall.
Wind power is a cornerstone of Vattenfall’s action on climate change and across Northern
Europe the energy company has 526 megawatts (MW) of onshore wind in operation and another
688MW offshore. In July this year Vattenfall officially opened its 41.4MW Edinbane
Wind Farm on the Isle of Skye and in September opened the 300MW Thanet Offshore Wind
Farm the world’s largest operating offshore scheme.
David Hodkinson, Director and Head of Development at Vattenfall Wind Power in the UK,
said: “We are delighted with the decision by the UK Government to grant planning permission
for Vattenfall’s Ray Wind Farm as it is an important step forward for the project.
“We would like to thank our supporters in Northumberland and in particular Lord Devonport
who has stuck with this proposal for several years. We will continue to engage with the local
community as we continue to develop the proposal.”
Ray Wind Farm is an onshore project situated on the Ray Estate near Kirkwhelpington in
Northumberland. The proposal comprises 16 turbines with a maximum turbine height of 125
metres.
Post a comment