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Peel Energy has today submitted a planning application to Lancaster City
Council to install up to 3 wind turbines on the dock wall at the Port of Heysham.
The planning application is supported by an Environmental Statement that contains the
findings of extensive environmental and technical studies of the proposed
development. The feedback received from local residents and businesses at public
exhibition events held in May is also provided – these events were part of a community
consultation programme that included meetings with Councillor’s and a visit to an
operational wind farm for local residents.
Peel Energy has experience of developing and operating wind farms in port locations.
The four turbine scheme on the Port of Liverpool has been contributing to the electricity
needs of Merseyside since 2009. Peel Energy received planning permission for a
similar four turbine scheme on the Port of Sheerness that same year.
The original proposal for Heysham was also a four turbine scheme but one turbine was
removed following initial studies. If consented, the proposed 9MW wind farm is
predicted to generate enough electricity to meet the average needs of approximately
4,600 homes – half of the households in Heysham.
Patrick Keogh, Peel Energy Development Manager, said:
“We believe this is an ideal site for wind generation. There are few sites in the country
that have such a high wind resource – owing to its location on the Northwest coast –
while also being outside of any environmentally designated areas. It’s a further
advantage that this would provide an economic stimulus for the port – a local employer.
“The need to meet our future electricity demands with a secure mix of affordable and
low carbon energy is a challenge that will affect us all. Increasing the amount of
electricity generated from renewables will enable us to be less reliant on imported fossil
fuels and therefore reduce long-term increases in our energy bills.
“Onshore wind is an established technology and one of the cheapest forms of
renewable generation. It will continue to play an important role in our energy mix
alongside other forms of low carbon generation such as nuclear and off-shore wind.”
Lancaster City Council will launch its own public consultation once the application has
been validated and accepted.
Peel Energy would like to thank the community for their involvement in the scheme so
far and looks forward to continuing the dialogue as the scheme progresses through the
planning process. |
