npower renewables1 is proposing to develop the Gwynt y Môr Offshore Wind Farm, a new wind farm in Liverpool Bay, 13-15 kilometres off the coast of North Wales.
The project is currently in the early stages of the design process, however, npower renewables is now in a position to present initial details of the project. These include preliminary visual representations, and information about studies being undertaken as part of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). The findings of the EIA will be presented as part of the application to build and operate the wind farm.
An integral part of the design process is consultation with key stakeholders, including those people living in areas local to the proposed wind farm. npower renewables has planned six public exhibitions during September and October to introduce the project to people living in nearby communities, and provide opportunities for local people to discuss the project with the company and feedback their comments, opinions and suggestions.
Gwynt y Môr project consents manager Georgia Markwell said, "We are holding these exhibitions to provide background information on wind power, to inform local people about this particular project, and to encourage feedback on the proposal. The project is still at the design stage, and the feedback that we receive from our consultations with all interested parties will provide us with valuable information towards finalising the project design."
Georgia Markwell continued, "The views of local people are an important part of the design process, and these exhibitions are the start of a process of liaison and discussion with local communities that will continue throughout the development of the project. We hope that local people will take the opportunity to visit one of our exhibitions and we look forward to meeting as many people as possible over the six days."
The public exhibitions will be held as follows from 10.00am to 4.00pm each day:
- Saturday 11th September, Rhyl Town Hall, Rhyl, Denbighshire
- Sunday 12th September, Grand Hotel, Prestatyn, Denbighshire
- Saturday 9th October, Imperial Hotel, Llandudno, Conwy
- Sunday 10th October, Imperial Hotel, Llandudno, Conwy
- Saturday 30th October, Crosby Leisure Centre, Crosby, Sefton
- Sunday 31st October, King's Gap Hotel, Hoylake, Wirral
The public exhibitions are part of a wider local consultation programme that will include briefings for local councillors, Welsh Assembly Government members and Members of Parliament, as well as discussions with a wide range of local interest groups.
Gwynt y Môr Offshore Wind Farm could comprise around 200 wind turbines, located further offshore than npower renewables' North Hoyle Offshore Wind Farm, stretching from Prestatyn in the East to Penrhyn Bay in the West.
The project would have a total generating capacity of up to 750 megawatts, and at this size would generate enough clean electricity each year to meet the demand of around 500,000 homes - equivalent to approximately all of the households in Anglesey, Gwynedd, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Wirral, Sefton and West Lancashire2.
This amount of clean electricity generation would also prevent the release of around 1.85 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas contributing to global warming and climate change - that's a saving equal to the annual emissions of carbon dioxide from more than 550,000 family cars each travelling 12,000 miles per year3.
npower renewables anticipates that the application to build and operate the Gwynt y Môr Offshore Wind Farm will be submitted in the second half of 2005.
For further information contact:
- Judith Roberts, Campbell Sampson Limited
T: 0151 236 6605
- Sara Alan-Smith, PR Officer, npower renewables
T: 01189 59 2440
Editors Notes
- npower renewables is a leading UK renewable energy generator, committed to developing and operating wind farms, biomass and hydro plant that produce sustainable and environmentally-friendly electricity.
The company operates 15 wind farms in the UK, including North Hoyle Offshore Wind Farm, the first major offshore wind farm to be built in UK waters. In addition to the 267MW of installed wind energy generation that it currently operates, npower renewables also operates 50MW of hydroelectric power, including 5 hydro stations in North Wales. In November 2003, npower and Greenpeace announced the establishment of the npower Juice fund, in association with our green electricity product npower Juice, which will help to support the development of new renewable energy technologies such as wave and tidal.
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Household figures are based on numbers of households with residents, obtained from 2001 National Census at http://www.statistics.gov.uk
- Based on Vauxhall Vectra 1.8 LS. "What Car" magazine, March 2002, 178 grammes of carbon dioxide per kilometre.
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