EDF Renewables and ESB have applied for a marine licence extension at the 450MW Neart na Gaoithe offshore wind project in Scotland’s Firth of Forth.
The project’s seabed preparation marine licence, which covers boulder clearance work, is due to expire on 30 September this year.
The developers are looking to extend the licence until 31 January 2024 and increase the number of boulders that can be moved at turbine locations and cable pre-lay grapnel runs from a 50,000 to 60,000 estimate.
Project directors have told Marine Scotland that the extension is required for a pre-lay grapnel run ahead of installing inter-array cables in the final phase of construction.
While the boulder clearance campaign at the project is completed, additional activity may also be incurred “if any micro-siting of foundations is required”.
Around 54,500 boulders have already been moved from the site, of which 28,000 have been cleared from the export cable route, 13,000 from inter-array cable corridors and 13,500 from wind turbine locations.
“Based on the existing duration of this licence, since December 2019, and the minimal increase in additional works which may be required for boulder clearance, the activity is not considered to have potential to cause harm to the environment, human health or to interfere with other uses of the sea,” the application states.
The variation is in line with the 2024 commissioning target for Neart na Gaoithe, which has been pushed back a year later than initially planned.