npower renewables

npower renewables is shortly to submit planning applications for onshore electrical works which are part of the proposed Gwynt y Môr Offshore Wind Farm in North Wales.

The application will cover a range of onshore construction works stretching from the coastline just west of Belgrano in the county of Conwy, to St Asaph in Denbighshire. Applications will be made jointly to Conwy and Denbighshire County Councils.

The offshore consent applications were submitted to the Department for Trade & Industry - now the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (DBERR) - in November 2005 and these are currently being considered. The onshore works are separate from the offshore works, and are submitted under the Town & Country Planning Act.

These latest works would involve the installation of underground electricity cable connection pits at Belgrano, which would receive the offshore cabling from Gwynt y Môr Offshore Wind Farm. From Belgrano to St Asaph underground power cables would be installed within open fields, with the landscape being reinstated once the work is complete. A new substation will be built close to St Asaph Business Park to enable the electricity voltage to be suitably increased to allow connection to the national electricity transmission network.

It is anticipated that these works would take around two years to complete and mitigation measures will be put in place to minimise their impact on the local area and community. As part of the onshore construction work, National Grid Transco is also submitting a planning application to Denbighshire County Council for work at the substation together with a planning application to DBERR to cover the installation of around 500metres of new overhead line to connect the substation to the transmission network.

In keeping with its policy of ensuring that local businesses, residents and stakeholders are fully informed, npower renewables is hosting a two day public information exhibition.

Mark Thomas, Project Manager, Offshore Development, said: "These applications represent another key stage in the delivery of Gwynt y Môr Offshore Wind Farm, a scheme which would produce enough electricity for half a million homes every year. The applications are likely to be submitted during the summer and I hope that people will take the opportunity to visit the exhibitions so that we can explain the scheme, answer their questions and address any issues they may have."

Gwynt y Môr is a major renewable energy project, and would make a significant contribution towards Wales' target of meeting 20% of its energy use from renewable sources by 2020, and its aspirations for Wales to become self-sufficient on renewable energy in the future. The scheme of around 200 turbines would be 13km off offshore, further than the nearest wind turbines at Rhyl Flats which are 8kms off the coast.

Once fully operational, Gwynt y Môr could potentially generate enough clean, pollution free electricity to meet the energy needs of around 500,000 homes ever year, equivalent to 40% of homes in Wales or 2% of UK households.