Stuart Livesey
Project Development Manager
Hornsea Project Three Offshore Wind Farm
DONG Energy,
5 Howick Place
London.
SW1P 1WG
Sent by email
Dear Mr Livesey
Hornsea Project Three Offshore Wind Farm
Statutory Consultation under Section 42 of the Planning Act 2008 and Regulation 11 of
Infrastructure Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2009
Thank you for your letter dated 27 July 2017 inviting North Norfolk District Council
(NNDC)
, as
statutory consultee,
to comment on the proposed Hornsea Project Three
wind farm
development as set out in the Preliminary Environmental Information Report (PEIR)
and
supporting consultation materials
placed
on DONG Energy’
s website dated
July 2017.
This letter should be considered as the formal position of North Norfolk District Council at this
time in relation to the PEIR report
and these comments are given without prejudice to future
consideration
by the Council
as the project develops.
In setting out the Council’s position a report was
produced for discussion by the Council’s
Cabinet.
A copy of the Cabinet report and draft minutes are attached with this letter
.
Cabinet resolved on 05 September 2017
to:
1) Endorse the content of the
report as being the Council’s formal position and
response to the current round of consultation being undertaken in respect of
DONG Energy’s Hornsea Project Three offshore windfarm development, and
2) Re
-state the Council’s ongoing commitment to discuss and negotiate with
DONG Energy to achieve the best outcome for North Norfolk from this major
development proposal.
3) Seek advice regarding potential health implications to the local community.
4) Request that DONG Energy f
urther explore Direct Current
transmission
arrangements as the proposed development is refined in the coming months
Cont/…
Cont/…
In respect of point 3) above and potential health implications,
concerns were expressed that
the proposal would involve the laying of cables
carrying
very
high
voltages across large areas
of the District and
, in respect of those cables,
questions were asked
whether the health
implications associated with electromagnetic fields (EMF)
along the intended cable route
had
been
fully
explored and were understood
. The D
istrict Council would therefore request
assurance
from DONG Energy
, through submission of appropriate technical reports, that the
cables being laid (whether HVAC or HVDC) would not give rise to health risks to nearby
residents or
other
sensitive receptors from EMF or from other effects associated with the
transmission of high voltage electricity along buried cables.
In respect of point 4)
whilst the District Council recognises that DONG Energy may need at
this stage to
assess the potential of both HVDC and HVAC transmission systems,
the District
Council is aware from public comments made through the current
public
consultation
processes in respect of the Hornsea Project Three and other major offshore wind proposals
seeking landfall and connections into the National Grid in Norfolk
that the public have a strong
preference to see HVDC transmission systems adopted. The Council understands that this is
because HVDC technology would remove the need for onshore and offshore booster stations
to be provided along the route of the export cables between the turbine field and the connection
into the National Grid infrastructure, thereby minimising the impact of these developments on
communities in North Norfolk once the construction of any cabl
e corridor works were complete.
The District Council has therefore prepared its comments on the PIER report based upon the
potential of an HVAC transmission system being deployed, but would ask that DONG Energy
continue to appraise both options in the hope that the less intrusive HVDC option might be
chosen in the final scheme design.
With
out prejudice to the comments made above, the District
Council is carefully following the debate which is taking place over the use by offshore wind
development companies
of HVAC and HVDC systems and
reserves its position in respect of
publically lobbying the G
overnment to better understand the difference between the two
transmission systems
so that the least environmentally damaging
option
might
be taken
forward
on this and other schemes
Notwithstanding the position outlined above, the District Council values the relationship which
has been established with the DONG Energy team in the development of the Hornsea Project
Three project proposal over the past 18 mon
ths and looks forward to continued dialogue with
you in the coming months as the project proposals are refined so as to achieve the best
possible outcome for communities in North Norfolk if the proposal receives Development
Consent approval through NSIP and the Secretary of State.
Yours sincerely
Geoff Lyon (MTCP, MRTPI) Major Projects Manager
Protecting the distinctiveness of this very special coast 