Vattenfall is seeking input from locals in south east England on its plans for the up to 340MW Thanet 2 offshore wind farm off the Kent coast.
The Swedish utility said it is mulling “cutting edge technology” for the extension project and wants the opinions of people in the Thanet and Sandwich areas before progressing plans.
A newsletter will be sent to 70,000 locals next week ahead of a statutory consultation for the scheme. Vattenfall is also planning 15 public events in December and January.
The developer is “confident” that more powerful turbines will be available for the project which project manager Helen Jameson said could be operational in 2021.
“The rapid growth in wind turbine productivity and the incredible rate of innovation means we could produce more than the current wind farm whilst deploying only a third the number of turbines,” she said. Thanet 1 is a 300MW project that features Vestas V90 3MW turbines operational since 2010.
“There will be impacts though, both positive and negative, onshore and off, and that is why we are keen to understand the views of residents, businesses and organisations before we submit a final proposal next spring to the Planning Inspectorate.”
Image: the nearby Kentish Flats wind farm (Vestas)
