The developer of the Dudgeon offshore wind farm, Warwick Energy, is pressing ahead with contractor selection, despite continuing lack of clarity about where the onshore substation that will serve the project is to be built.
Speaking with “uåX˜äŠÊ˜·³Ç Offshore, project director, Mark Petterson, explained that a decision about which turbine to install at the 560MW wind farm will be made "within the next couple of months" and that a shortlist of suppliers has been drawn up.
A shortlist of potential foundation suppliers has also been completed, with a final decision planned for late this year, he added. ABB has already been announced as Warwick's electrical contractor.
Earlier this month, the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) gave its final approval to Dudgeon (“uåX˜äŠÊ˜·³Ç Offshore 06-Jul-12). The only remaining permitting issue is the location of the onshore substation that will serve the wind farm.
At the end of June, Warwick submitted an application to build the substation at Necton. A decision by local authorities is likely late this autumn. However, Warwick’s preferred location remains Little Dunham. This proposed location was turned down by local permitting authorities in 2010, due to concerns about visual landscape impacts.
A series of appeals by Warwick about Little Dunham culminated in a High Court ruling in April in Warwick’s favour and requiring DECC and the UK Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) to reconsider their refusal to approve a substation at Little Dunham.
Warwick's offshore wind development experience includes Barrow, which it sold in 2003, and Thanet. The company sold its stake in Thanet in 2008.
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