DONG Energy responds to community interest on the proposed 2.4GW Hornsea Project Three offshore wind farm

DONG Energy will be holding an additional round of consultation events in Norfolk in March 2017, in response to interest from the community on the proposed 2.4GW Hornsea Project Three offshore wind farm.

More than 170 people attended the initial community consultation events in October and November last year, DONG said.

The upcoming events have been organised to provide early information on the refinement of the proposed route for the onshore cables, build upon the company’s understanding of local concerns and share how it proposes to address them.

Your chance to comment

Stuart Livesey, Hornsea Project Three project development manager, said: ‘A big thank you to those that attended our events last year, it was hugely helpful to hear the community’s views. We’ve taken on board the feedback we received from the first round of events and have since updated the project plans.’

‘We recognise that a key concern for people is to ensure they are kept informed about the project, and are able to have a say on the plans as they develop. The project proposal continues to mature and the area of consultation has been refined, so we’ve organised these extra events, to share the updated plans and give people a further chance to comment.’

Hornsea Project Three will be located approximately 120 kilometres from the North Norfolk Coast and if built out to full capacity of 2.4GW will be capable of generating enough renewable energy for well over 2 million homes, five times the number of homes in Norfolk.

The project will not be visible from the Norfolk shore, however electricity generated by the wind farm will be connected into Norwich Main National Grid Substation via buried onshore cables, and it will also require a new onshore substation in the vicinity of National Grid’s, according to DONG.

Hornsea Project Three Offshore Wind Farm consultation events

Get involved

The company encourages interested members of the public to attend the events and comment on the plans, which have progressed somewhat since those shown late last year.

Stuart added: ‘We have been working closely with stakeholders such as local landowners to understand their views on the project, and want to emphasise that at this stage the consultation is still very much ongoing, and no final decisions have been made.

‘Understanding which areas are most important for the local community is key, and the feedback gathered at these consultation events will help us to shape our proposal going forward. There are still plenty of opportunities for people to engage and have their say, and we really encourage them to do so.’

Feedback from the initial consultation showed that 75% supported the project, according to DONG.

Upcoming Events

  • Thursday 2 March 2017 1:30pm – 5:30pm Reepham Town Hall, Church Street, Reepham, Norwich, NR10 4JW
  • Friday 3 March 2017 3pm – 7pm Weybourne Village Hall, Beach Lane, Weybourne, Holt, NR25 7AH
  • Monday 6 March 2017 1pm – 5pm  The King’s Centre, King Street, Norwich, NR1 1PH
  • Tuesday 7 March 2017 3pm – 7pm Hall for All, Church Street, Weston Longville, Norwich, NR9 5JU
  • Wednesday 8 March 2017 3pm – 7pm Corpusty and Saxthorpe Village Hall, Heydon Road, Corpusty, NR11 6QQ
  • Thursday 9 March 2017 4pm – 8pm Holt Community Centre, Kerridge Way, Holt, NR25 6DN
  • Friday 10 March 2017 2pm – 6pm Swardeston Social Club and Village Hall, The Common, Swardeston Common, Norwich, NR14 8DX

A series of community consultation events were held across Norfolk in the last week of October and early November 2016. These events were part of the first phase of informal community consultation for Hornsea Project Three Offshore Wind Farm. A short summary of all of the feedback received at these events is available on the Dong website.

The Royal Yachting Association (RYA) is constantly monitoring the developments in Round 3 wind farms and Round 2 extensions and assessing their potential impact on recreational boating.  The RYA meets regularly with all the developers to discuss recreational navigational safety. Read more at www.rya.org.uk.