Talks have begun to get the ball rolling on a planned offshore windfarm on the East Yorkshire coast. Public consultations are under way over the fate of the major renewable energy project which has been dubbed, Hornsea Project Three by the brains behind it, Dong Energy.
The electric utilities firm has suggested the project would be the worldâs largest offshore wind farm should plans be approved. It follows previous planning submissions by Dong Energy, Hornsea Project One and Hornsea Project Two. Hornsea Project One is being built around 75 miles from the shore and ought to be complete and operational by 2020.
Despite the potential economic and environmental advantages to be yielded, Hornsea Project One was initially met with mixed opinions from wildlife conservation charities and the general public. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) was one such detractor, voicing concerns over the risk to seabirds and suggesting there was a problematically high collision risk.
Nevertheless, construction has begun on the project which is part-subsidised by the governmentâs £16.6bn Contracts for Difference (CfDs) scheme.
Brent Cheshire, UK Chairman of Dong Energy was positive that Hornsea Project Three would, too, get the go ahead and further solidify the companyâs commit to the renewables industry, particularly offshore wind.
The fate of Hornsea Project Two is yet to be decided. A planning application was submitted in January 2015 and a decision is expected later this year.
Dong Energy will not be submitting a planning application for Hornsea Project Three until 2018 and only when it has the support of the general public, local government and nearby industries. Should it be approved, construction would begin between 2022 and 2025.
The firm has already achieved success in the offshore wind power sector having built the Westermost Rough wind farm off the Holderness coast which became operational last year. The farm comprises 35 turbines and has a generational capacity of 210MW.
