Plans for South Coast Windfarm Revealed

An energy firm's been telling Heart how it wants to build up to three hundred turbines off the South Coast.

The wind park will be located off the Dorset and Hampshire coasts and to the west of the Isle of Wight, the seventh of nine zones chosen for off shore wind farm development. The project will deliver UK-sourced clean and efficient energy to the south
coast making a valuable contribution to national carbon reduction and climate change targets.

The Crown Estate awarded the area, known as Zone 7, to Eneco after consultation with stakeholders and a Strategic Environmental Assessment by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). The announcement follows a tendering
process launched by The Crown Estate in 2008 to deliver 25GW of off shore wind power in UK waters by 2020.

The ultimate capacity and design will be confirmed only after comprehensive consultation with all interested parties. Eneco believes that around 30 per cent of the zone could be developed, providing approximately 900MW of capacity, enough to power more than half a million homes.

At the beginning of 2010, Eneco was awarded the exclusive development rights for an off shore wind park within Zone 7. Over the next four years Eneco will carry out surveys, environmental assessments and full consultation activity with key parties.
It is expected that the wind park will be in operation by 2018.

For a chance to name the wind park, or have your say on the project click here