Public information events for offshore wind farm extensions

Equinor is hosting a series of public information days concerning the Sheringham Shoal and Dudgeon offshore wind farm extension.
 

Photo: Dudgeon Offshore Wind © Equinor/Ole Jørgen Bratland

 
Equinor is hosting a series of public information days concerning the Sheringham Shoal and Dudgeon offshore wind farm extension.
 
These events will allow local people to learn more about the projects, provide an opportunity to ask questions to the project team, and for the project team to understand local concerns.
 
The onshore cable route from these extension projects could affect a number of villages in the Reepham district.
 
The cables will come ashore at Weybourne, before being installed in a trench heading south, passing to the east of Cawston, towards a new substation near the existing National Grid facility at Swardeston.
 
The cable trench is also planned to pass near Heydon, Brandiston, Swannington, Attlebridge and Weston Longville.
 
The Norway-based energy company will be hosting four events across Norfolk:

  • Monday 7 March, 2–7 pm, – Aylsham Town Hall, Market Place, Aylsham
  • Tuesday 8 March, 1–6 pm – Hall for All, Church Street, Weston Longville
  • Wednesday 9 March, 1–6 pm – Swardeston Village Hall, High Common, Swardeston
  • Thursday 10 March, 11 am – 4 pm – Sheringham Museum, Lifeboat Plain, Sheringham

 
Full details of these events can be found on the project website.
 
Equinor already operates the Sheringham Shoal and Dudgeon Offshore Wind Farms off the coast of Norfolk.
 
The extension projects are classified as nationally significant infrastructure projects, which means the company will apply for a development consent order (DCO) from the Secretary of State for Business Energy and industrial Strategy.
 
Equinor and its partners say they are seeking to minimise potential impacts on the community and the environment by proposing a shared onshore grid connection footprint for the two projects and applying for one common DCO – an industry first.
 
The energy company had originally planned to submit the DCO by the end of 2021, but now intends to make the submission to the planning directorate by summer 2022.
 
The Dudgeon Offshore Wind Farm is owned by Equinor, Masdar and China Resources, while the Sheringham Shoal Offshore Wind Farm is owned by Equinor, Equitix Offshore 5 (co-owned by Equitix and the Renewable Investment Group) and a fund managed by Macquarie Asset Management.
 
Currently, the combined output of both wind farms is sufficient to power around 710,000 UK homes, and the proposed extensions will increase that to more than 1.5 million UK households.
 
Both wind farms have established community funds that have awarded more than £1 million in grants to Norfolk community groups, including schools and non-government organisations, seeking financial assistance for projects or initiatives that meet key criteria and focus on renewable energy, marine environment and safety, sustainability or education in these areas.
 
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