Galloper Wind Farm Project Environmental Statement – Chapter 1 Introduction October 2011 Document Reference – 5.2.1 Galloper Wind Farm Limited Document title Galloper Wind Farm Project Environmental Statement – Chapter 1 Introduction Document short title Galloper Wind Farm ES Document Reference 5.2.1 Regulation Reference APFP Regulations, 5(2)(a) Status Final Report Version 11 Date October 2011 Project name Galloper Wind Farm Project Client Galloper Wind Farm Limited Royal Haskoning 9V3083/R01/303424/Exet Reference Drafted by Royal Haskoning Checked by Peter Gaches Date/initials check PG 30.08.2011 Approved by Dr. Martin Budd (Royal Haskoning) Date/initials approval MB 15.10.11 GWFL Approved by Kate Harvey (GWFL) Date/initials approval KH 01/11/11 Galloper Wind Farm ES - i - 9V3083/R01/303424/Exet Final Report October 2011 CONTENTS Page 1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Environmental Statement 1 1.2 Application for Development Consent 1 1.3 The Applicant 2 1.4 Round 2.5 Extension Projects 2 1.5 The Galloper Wind Farm Project 3 1.6 Structure of the Environmental Statement 11 1.7 Document Availability 14 Galloper Wind Farm ES 9V3083/R01/303424/Exet Final Report - iii - October 2011 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Environmental Statement 1.1.1 Galloper Wind Farm Limited (GWFL) is proposing to construct an offshore wind farm in the Outer Thames Estuary including associated infrastructure to facilitate export of power to the national electricity transmission system. The proposed development is known as Galloper Wind Farm (GWF). This document constitutes the Environmental Statement (ES) for the project, and presents the findings of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process. 1.1.2 This ES appraises the environmental impacts predicted from the proposed GWF project. The ES is prepared in order to support the consent application process and is required under the Infrastructure Planning Regulations (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2009 (which transpose the EIA requirements of the EU Directive (EIA Directive) 85/337/EEC (as amended by Directive 97/11/EC and Directive 2003/35/EC) (see Chapter 3 Legislative and Planning Context). 1.1.3 The objectives of the ES are to ensure that environmental factors are considered throughout the project, and the decision-making process, and potential adverse and beneficial environmental impacts are identified and assessed (see Chapter 4 Approach to EIA). As a result of this assessment process, potential measures to avoid or minimise any likely significant impacts can be identified and where necessary subsequently implemented. 1.1.4 The EIA encompasses all activity associated with the development (both offshore and onshore components). Therefore, the ES for the proposed GWF project presents the full findings of the EIA for the offshore wind farm (including offshore platforms, inter and intra-array cables and met masts), export cable route, cable landfall, onshore works, onshore substation components and grid connection. 1.2 Application for Development Consent 1.2.1 As an offshore generating station with a capacity greater than 100 megawatts (MW), the proposed GWF project qualifies as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) under the Planning Act 2008 (“the 2008 Act”). 1.2.2 The application will include grid connection works which are being treated as an ‘electric line above ground’ NSIP in their own right under the 2008 Act. This ES assumes that GWF will comprise these two NSIPs. 1.2.3 The principal consent for the construction, operation and decommissioning of the wind farm, overhead lines and associated infrastructure will take the form of a Development Consent Order, under the 2008 Act (See Chapter 3). Galloper Wind Farm ES 9V3083/R01/303424/Exet Final Report Chapter 1 - Page 1 October 2011 1.3 The Applicant 1.3.1 SSE Renewables Developments UK Ltd (SSER) and RWE Npower Renewables Ltd (RWE NRL) have been awarded the rights to develop the proposed GWF project as part of The Crown Estate’s Round 2.5 Offshore Wind Farm extension programme. 1.3.2 This joint venture between two of Europe’s leading offshore wind developers builds on the existing successful partnership between SSER and RWE NRL on the adjacent 504MW Greater Gabbard Offshore Wind Farm (GGOWF) project which is anticipated to be fully operational in 2012, making it the largest operational offshore wind farm in the world. 1.3.3 SSER (formerly known as Airtricity) is responsible for the development and construction of Scottish and Southern Energy’s (SSE) renewable energy projects across the UK, Ireland and Continental Europe. SSE is the UK’s leading generator of renewable energy, with over 2,200 Megawatts (MW) of capacity, and is the second largest generator in the UK, with a total electricity generation capacity of 11,500MW. 1.3.4 RWE NRL is the UK subsidiary of RWE Innogy and already operates offshore wind farms at North Hoyle (60MW) and Rhyl Flats (90MW), in north Wales. The company is also constructing the Gwynt y Môr offshore wind farm (576MW), also situated off the north coast of Wales. A number of additional major projects, including Triton Knoll (1,200MW) and Atlantic Array (1,500MW), are currently in development. As one of the companies comprising the Forewind consortium, RWE NRL is also involved in development of the world’s largest offshore project, Dogger Bank (approx. 9,000MW), situated off the east coast of England. RWE Innogy is progressing a number of offshore wind farms on the European continent, currently constructing the Nordsee Ost (295MW) and Thornton Bank offshore wind farms (325MW), and is developing the Innogy Nordsee 1 project (approx. 1,000MW). Overall, RWE Innogy operates renewable power plants with a total rated capacity of 2,200MW and invests approximately 1.1 billion euros a year in the expansion of renewable energy within Europe. 1.3.5 The applicant name for the joint venture (JV) between SSER and RWE NRL is Galloper Wind Farm Limited, and is referred to as GWFL throughout this ES. 1.4 Round 2.5 Extension Projects 1.4.1 The Crown Estate, which provides rights for development on the seabed in the UK, believes there is an opportunity for the delivery of extension schemes to realise additional offshore wind capacity, which could be brought into operation ahead of longer term Round 3 projects. To this end, The Crown Estate formally made an announcement on extensions to operational, under construction or consented Round 1 and 2 projects on the 29th July 2009. Galloper Wind Farm ES 9V3083/R01/303424/Exet Final Report Chapter 1 - Page 2 October 2011 1.4.2 GWFL formally submitted a tender bid for the proposed GWF project to The Crown Estate in December 2009 and was subsequently awarded exclusive rights to develop the proposed wind farm on 20th April 2010. 1.4.3 Whilst The Crown Estate did not set a maximum size limit for the extension projects, they did state that the scale of the extension should be appropriate to the scale of the original site taking into account environmental and other constraints1. To this end, the proposed GWF project submitted to The Crown Estate was for a nominal 504MW, this being the same scale as the adjacent GGOWF. 1.4.4 Following this review, The Crown Estate determined that an additional 2GW of offshore wind capacity in the form of extensions to Round 1 and 2 wind farm projects could be let, which would see offshore wind reach an installed capacity of 48GW by 2020. The five sites awarded rights were: Galloper Wind Farm (504MW); Kentish Flats 2 (51MW); Thanet 2 (147MW); Burbo Bank Extension (234MW); and Walney Extension (750MW). 1.4.5 A further two projects, Race Bank and Dudgeon have been offered the chance to develop additional capacity of 80MW and 260MW respectively, within their existing site boundaries. 1.5 The Galloper Wind Farm Project Project site 1.5.1 The proposed GWF development comprises the installation, operation and subsequent decommissioning of an offshore wind farm in the Outer Thames Estuary, located approximately 27km (14.6 nautical miles) at its closest point to the Suffolk coast. Figure 1.1 shows a schematic arrangement of the primary onshore and offshore components of the proposed GWF project and their relationship to the existing GGOWF. 1.5.2 The wind farm comprises three key areas (development areas A, B and C). Wind turbine generators (WTG) and associated infrastructure may be developed in all, part or not at all in some of these areas and may vary in density across each one. Area A is located around a shallow underwater sand bank, known as Outer Gabbard, with two further shallow underwater sand banks, known as Inner Gabbard and Galloper situated to the west of the development area. The site straddles the UK territorial waters limit of 12nautical miles from shore. Figure 1.2 provides a plan of the proposed 1 http://www.thecrownestate.co.uk/print/our_portfolio/marine/offshore_wind_energy/r1-r2-lease-area- extensions.htm Galloper Wind Farm ES 9V3083/R01/303424/Exet Final Report Chapter 1 - Page 3 October 2011 GWF project areas, including the export cable corridor which has a landfall to the south of Sizewell. 1.5.3 The connection point to the electricity transmission system is at a proposed new substation facility sited on private land between Leiston and Sizewell, approximately 1km inland on the Suffolk coast. GWFL secured a Grid Connection Agreement from National Grid Electricity Transmission plc (NGET) in December 2009, i.e. the location where the electricity generated by GWF is connected to the 400kV national electricity transmission network. This ‘Grid Connection Agreement’ is located at Sizewell. Figure 1.3 provides an overview of the onshore aspects of the proposed GWF project.