A 504MW extension to the Greater Gabbard wind farm, currently under construction off the Suffolk coast, has passedthe first stage of the planning application process. RWE npower Renewables and SSE Renewables, who are developing the project under the name Galloper Wind Farm, have now had clearance from the Independent Planning Commission (IPC) to ‘proceed to examination’. This will involve inviting members of the public to examine on and comment on the proposals for the wind farm, which will then be examined in detail by the IPC.

If the project goes ahead, the Galloper Wind Farm will have up to 140 turbines and will be built next to the current Greater Gabbard site up to 27km off the coast. The project will also involve building new onshore infrastructure, including a new substation at Sizewell. Together, the two wind farms will be able to power up to 1 million homes when complete. Greater Gabbard is due for completion in 2012 and, if approved, the extension is expected to start construction in 2014 and be complete by the end of 2016.

Wilding says: ‘We’re delighted that the Greater Gabbard extension has had approval to proceed to the next planning stage. If it goes ahead, it will bring many jobs to the local area and help ensure a reliable electricity supply in the future. Greater Gabbard was one of the largest offshore wind projects we’ve worked on and we hope to be involved in the Galloper Wind Farm too.’

Source:EADT