Equinor has launched a community consultation to seek local views on its plans to extend its existing wind farms off the Norfolk coast.
The first phase of community consultation runs from 9 July until 20 August 2020.
Feedback is being sought regarding the location of the site for the onshore substation, the route to be taken by the underground onshore cables, plus lessons that can be taken from the earlier construction of the Sheringham Shoal and Dudgeon offshore wind farms that Equinor operates off the Norfolk coast.
The extensions, called the Sheringham and Dudgeon Extension Projects, will be built adjacent to the existing wind farms, bringing total capacity up to 1.44GW.
Both extension projects are classed as Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) which means Equinor will apply for a Development Consent Order from the Secretary of State for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy.
Cables from the extension projects will come ashore at Weybourne, before being installed in a trench heading south towards a new onshore substation near to the existing National Grid Norwich Main Substation.
Equinor has published a Statement of Community Consultation (SoCC) which sets out how the company will be engaging with the local Norfolk community to ensure that they can provide comments and feedback on the plans as they develop.
Equinor has developed a range of options online and via dedicated communications lines to invite community feedback and ensure that all interested parties have access to all the information.
These include:
A consultation website where interested members of the public are able to provide their comments via an interactive digital engagement platform.
A virtual exhibition and interactive online space with more information about the projects and the planning and construction processes.
The projects’ community liaison officer, Nigel Tompkins, based in Norfolk.
Additionally, over 9000 properties within 1km of the proposed onshore cable corridor search area from Weybourne to the Norwich Main substation, south of Norwich, have been mailed a community consultation leaflet and feedback form. In parallel, the company is consulting with landowners within the indicative survey area.
“It’s really important to us to hear from the community at this early stage of the project, so that we can consider feedback from the local people as the projects develop”, says Kari Hege Mork, project manager at Equinor.
Mork added: “It’s a challenging time to engage as we can’t physically meet in person but we hope that the materials we have provided, including our virtual exhibition space, will give people enough information to be able to comment on our onshore plans.
“We’ve also got lots of channels of communication open if people have further queries, and we really encourage anyone who has an interest in the project to have a look.
“One area we’re specifically looking for input on is to help us inform the criteria for the site selection of the onshore substation area, close to the Norwich Main substation, as well as feedback to assist us in refining the detail of the onshore cable route from Weybourne to the substation site.”
On completion of this first phase of community consultation, Equinor will compile and publish a report summarising the feedback received and how this is being considered.
A second phase of community consultation will be held in Spring 2021 when the company will be presenting its refined plans, inviting comments to its Preliminary Environmental Report (PEIR) and providing additional information including visualisations of what the Extension Projects will look like onshore and from the coast.
Equinor intends to submit the Development Consent Order application by the end of 2021.