Plans unveiled to build new offshore windfarms off Morecambe Bay

Wednesday, 2 November 2022 19:45

Plans are being developed to build new offshore windfarms off the Morecambe Bay coast.

Proposals have been unveiled for ‘Morecambe’ and ‘Morgan’, two new offshore wind farms being developed in the Irish Sea.

Morecambe Offshore Windfarm Limited, a joint venture between Cobra Instalaciones y Servicios, S.A. (Cobra) and Flotation Energy Ltd., is developing the Morecambe Offshore Windfarm.

Morgan Offshore Wind Limited, a joint venture between bp and Energie Baden- Württemberg AG (EnBW), is developing the Morgan Offshore Wind Project.

These two wind farms, situated in the Irish Sea, would together generate almost 2GW of energy, and the two joint venture companies say they are collaborating to connect the wind farms to the electricity transmission network.

Plans are still in the early stages. Currently, ongoing technical and environmental survey work is taking place, with a non-statutory consultation planned in the coming weeks.

As part of this, they are holding a series of public events, where people can find out about the project and ask any questions.

Locally, this will take place on Saturday, November 19, 2.30pm - 6.30pm, at Morecambe War Memorial Hall on Church Street.

A spokesperson for the projects said: ‘’Early consultation with local communities and consultees is a key part of this process, so that feedback on potential social and environmental impacts, opportunities and potential mitigation measures can be considered in advance of an application being made.

‘’This consultation represents the first opportunity for local communities and other stakeholders to understand the collaboration between the two projects and broad details of how each will be developed. We welcome feedback on any aspect of the information we’re sharing on the projects.

‘’To help us develop our proposals further we’re asking for your feedback on our early plans.

‘’We’re carrying out lots of our own technical and environmental assessments but people living near to the proposals have local knowledge we would really value.’’

Next year, there will be a statutory consultation undertaken, before planning applications are submitted sometime in 2024.

If approved, the earliest anticipated commencement of any construction would be 2026, with an expected start of Commercial Operations Dates (CODs), no earlier than 2028.

You can find out more here