£1billion wind farm set for Dorset coast (From Dorset Echo)

£1billion wind farm set for Dorset coast

7:50am Saturday 9th January 2010 in

By Miriam Phillips »

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A £1BILLION offshore wind project that will stretch along Dorset’s coastline and could provide up to 2,300 jobs has been announced.

The wind project, which will span 14 miles from the Dorset Coast in a zone from Purbeck to the Isle of Wight, is expected to generate enough energy to supply the average electricity demand of 587,000 homes.

The announcement yesterday by the Prime Minister will pave the way for a massive expansion in renewable energy around the UK’s shores.

The wind farm is one of nine zones in the £100 billion strategy which the government say will meet more than a quarter of the country’s electricity needs.

Eneco, developer of the West of Isle of Wight zone, is considering Portland Port as one of the assembly areas for the wind turbines.

The company, from the Netherlands, has been chosen by the Crown Estate, which owns most of the UK’s seabed.

Guy Madgwick, Eneco’s director of business and also a former Dorchester schoolboy, said: “We are absolutely thrilled that the project will bring jobs to Portland and Weymouth and we are confident this is the right place.

“The actual wind farm area we are looking at will be about 25km out to sea and stretch from south of the Needles on the Isle of Wight to the Purbecks.

“They will only be seen far in the distance on a clear day so they will not be a visual intrusion.”

He added: “I am hoping the wind farm should become a matter of civic pride, not a threat.”

Dorset County Council has welcomed the news of the Eneco Wind Park and said that the £1billion development could involve the creation of hundreds of jobs that could benefit Dorset’s most recession-hit areas.

The construction of the windfarm is likely to take up to five years and could create between 100 and 300 onshore jobs and a further 2,000 at sea.

A development on this scale would also have significant impacts on the environment, both positive and negative, which will need to be assessed before any development can go ahead.Dorset County Council cabinet member for environment, Hilary Cox, said: “The development of offshore wind offers significant opportunities for Dorset and the UK to meet our climate change and economic objectives.

“We welcome the fact that further clarity is emerging about potential schemes. “We are particularly keen to ensure that local communities are consulted about any proposals and that the positive benefits are maximised and any negative impacts are fully addressed.”

Eneco already operates 28 wind farms around the world.

The other nine zones include sites in the Irish Sea, the Bristol Channel, the Moray Firth, the Firth of Forth, and off the coast of Norfolk.

Comments(18)

knightsdalelady says...
9:41am Sat 9 Jan 10

Another world first for Dorset, a world heritage site ringed with wind turbines bobbing up and down! How many jobs? Once the turbines are anchored the only jobs will be the bods in the control room monitoring the flow of electric and a small maintenance crew.