What is the Atlantic Array?

The Atlantic Array is a proposed 1500MW offshore wind farm in the Bristol Channel, set between north Devon and Somerset,  Lundy and South Wales.  It will comprise up to 417 wind turbines up to 725 feet high with associated paraphernalia that will be visible from Swansea, South Gower, Carmarthen Bay and Pembrokeshire, and will obscure Lundy.  A short, two-month formal public consultation by the developers, RWE npower renewables, closes on 10th November 2011.  A planning application to the Secretary of State will be made in autumn 2012.
The Atlantic Array website is www.npower-renewables.com/atlanticarray

The first event to be covered is the RWE npower renewables Community Consultation which ends on 10 November 2011

1. The Consultation information is here www.rwe.com/web/cms/en/969472/rwe-innogy/sites/wind-offshore/developing-sites/atlantic-array-offshore-wind-farm/consultation/
2. The timetable for planning consent can be found here
3. RCC’s noticeboard information document can be read by clicking here
4. RCC’s mailshot to residents can be read by clicking here

This is an enhanced version of one of the public exhibition pictures presented by RWE npower renewables, showing what a farm of the smallest size wind turbines (165m) might look like from the Lookout point at Worm’s Head, Rhossili.  If they choose to deploy 220m turbines, the effect will be twice as big. 

Peter Lloyd from Llangennith visited the Robin Rigg wind farm on the Solway in October 2011 and took some photos. Robin Rigg is closer to Maryport (5.9 miles) than the Atlantic Array would be from the Worm (12 miles). But Robin Rigg uses relatively small 3 MW turbines with 80m towers. Atlantic Array could have 8 MW turbines with 200m towers. It would appear just as in the photo or even 20% taller. And, of course, there would be many, many more turbines in the Atlantic Array.  Note: this is an un-retouched photo, not a composite.

RWE say they will not decide which turbines to use until after planning consent is granted.  The tallest wind turbines are 100 feet higher than the Rhossili trig point and would appear 4 times higher than Lundy.  If smaller turbines are deployed, four hundred of them could span the visual horizon from Ilfracombe to Pembrokeshire.

 

Rhossili’s Say NO to Atlantic Array campaign

If you want to respond to the public consultation, you must act quickly to ensure your feedback reaches RWE npower renewables by 5pm on Thursday 10 November 2011.  You can also petition organisations and VIPs as well (with no immediate closing date).  Here’s how:

1. Statement from the action group to say what action is being taken (coming soon)
2. The Say NO leaflet can be found by clicking here
3. A pro forma letter is available for download by clicking here
4. Additional Say NO addresses can be found by clicking here
5. The notes from the Rhossili residents meeting at the Village Hall on 4 October can be found here
6. RCC’s letter of response to the consultation will be added when finalised

 

Llangennith, Llanmadoc and Cheriton

In this month’s Magazine we publish the second in our series on Atlantic Array. It provides some of the background to energy supply in Wales, now and in the future. It compares the costs of electricity from coal, gas , nuclear and wind – on-shore and off-shore.

The same article appears on the website together with:

• All the documents cited in the RWE consultation, which objectors should at least glance at if they want to be taken seriously. They are all in one place so it is easy to do. Where there are Welsh language versions, we offer them. They are all referred to in question 4 of the RWE Feedback form.
• A selection of UK and Welsh Government documents covering the field.

You can download any of these documents, any time. If you have some documents to put alongside these we would be very happy to put them on the site. We have moved Energy out of our Economics page and given the issue its own space at http://www.gowermagazine.com/energy.htm. It has plenty of space to grow in.

We have done some work on estimating the amount of noise that the wind farm will cause. This must be entirely speculative at this stage (RWE have not specified anything yet). You can get to this from the Energy page, “Atlantic Array Noise” in the left column. Click a location on the map, we calculate the noise. It is very simple. Our view at the moment is that noise levels will be very low, pretty much imperceptible.

You can down load a copy of the November Magazine here

This article appeared in the September issue of The Magazine 

Read more about Atlantic Array concerns here www.gowermagazine.com/

News from Lundy Island

This extract is from the Lundy Island website (www.lundyisland.co.uk)

Visitors to Lundy maybe aware of the proposal to build a large scale windfarm in the Bristol Channel. Developers, RWE renewables, are planning to erect up to 417 turbines sited 13km to the north of Lundy. The turbines are as high as the island itself and will obscure the view between the island and the Welsh Coast.

Derek Green, General Manager of Lundy said, after seeing the presentation by RWE npower renewables, that the proposals are “shocking” and that he has no choice but to object.  A campaign to encourage objections and raise awareness of the damaging effects that the windfarm would have on Lundy is being initiated.

Derek Green is most concerned about the impact on wildlife and on the Marine Conservation Zone but also the visual impact, the effects of noise and vibration from the turbines and the detrimental experience for visitors to the island who are attracted by its peace and unspoilt environment. Lundy is an exemplar of conservation and has a reputation of innovative solutions towards its own energy generation but the position of the Atlantic Array shows no sensitivity towards an important marine environment and no consideration to the visual impact that a 350 square miles of turbines will have on those living on the southern Welsh and North Devon coasts as well as the Lundy islanders and its thousands of visitors.

To object please send us an email to admin@lundyisland.co.uk and contact the developer RWE via atlanticarray@npower-renewables.com