Norfolk windfarm expansion plans raise concerns around flooding
Developers want to expand Dudgeon and Sheringham Shoal wind farms
Plans to increase the size of two wind farms off the north Norfolk coast have hit a hurdle, with concerns raised over onshore flooding.
Equinor, the Norwegian state-owned energy giant, is seeking permission to add dozens of new turbines at its Dudgeon and Sheringham Shoal wind farms.
While Norfolk County Council officers have recommended that County Hall “support the principle of these offshore renewable energy proposals” they have also submitted a ‘holding object’ due to a lack of acceptable supporting information.
The scheme was submitted to the government’s Planning Inspectorate in September.
The council’s concerns relate to flooding and drainage plans for the development, particularly at onshore sub stations.
A council report said: “There is currently insufficient information to demonstrate that surface water arising from the development would not result in an increase of flood risk to the proposed development at the onshore sub-station or elsewhere.
“There is a lack of confirmation of where the surface water drainage proposals for the onshore sub-station will drain.”
County Hall’s planning committee is due to discuss the plans at a meeting on Wednesday.
Council officers said they would remove the objection if Equinor confirms the proposed surface water discharge location, provides a model that assesses flood risk in line with the latest climate change expectations and for a maintenance and management plan to be developed.
Sheringham Shoal is around 17kms (10 miles) off Weybourne at its nearest point to shore.
The two wind farms currently consist of 155 turbines and up to 53 could be added across the two sites. The new ones will be much bigger than the present machines and at 330m they will be taller than the Eiffel Tower.
If the expansions are approved by the Planning Inspectorate the scheme would still be significantly smaller than other offshore windfarms, generating 719MW, enough electricity to power 785,000 homes.
Danish company Ørsted has been granted development consent for its Hornsea Project Three offshore wind farm, which would generate around 2.4GW and power three million homes. The scheme will be one of the biggest in the world.