As London Array has now received all of the major consents required for both the offshore and onshore elements of the project, the tender process for the major construction contracts is underway. The project has adopted a multi-contract approach with a number of major contract packages covering different elements of construction. In general a pre-qualification exercise will be carried out for each package to select suitable contractors for a competitive tendering exercise. It is anticipated the tender process will continue for much of 2008.

Details of the pre-qualifications are being published in the trade press but we would also encourage anyone interested in bidding for any of the tender packages to send their details to us via the Contact us page. Your details will be entered in our supplier’s database and where appropriate passed on to the relevant major contractors once they are appointed.

The consortium developing London Array, one of the world’s largest offshore wind farms in the Thames estuary, has welcomed today’s announcement from the UK Government that electricity transmission works associated with the project can go ahead.

The 1,000MW London Array would consist of up to 341 wind turbines and be able to generate enough electricity to cater for the power needs of a quarter of London homes or every home in Kent and East Sussex. It would also avoid the emission of millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide over its life.

The project would be built in phases and when complete would generate electricity equivalent to almost 10% of the Government’s target for 10% of the UK’s electricity to come from renewable sources by 2010.

London Array received planning permission for the offshore works in December 2006 and the Government, in August this year, supported the Planning Inspector’s recommendation for permission to be given for the construction of an onshore substation.
 
Andrew Murfin, Project Director of London Array Limited, said: “This is great news and is another significant step towards the development of this flagship project for the UK.

“As the Government looks to tackle the twin issues of security of supply and climate change, it is clear that renewable projects of the scale of London Array will become more and more important to the UK. Now that these important consents are in place, we are focused on the tendering necessary for the first phase of this project, the results of which will determine whether the project economics and schedule are acceptable. Timely enactment by the Government of their proposed changes to the Renewables Obligation legislation to promote offshore wind power is another key factor necessary for the success of this project.”

London Array is very pleased with the Government’s decision to support the Planning Inspector’s recommendation to grant planning permission for its proposed substation at Cleve Hill in North Kent, following the public inquiry in March ‘07. This decision, in conjunction with the offshore consents granted last December, is a major milestone in the ongoing development of the 1000MW London Array offshore wind project and its onshore connection to the national grid.

London Array will continue to liaise with local residents and stakeholders as we got through the tendering phase of the project, we expect more news to follow.

The consortium planning to build the world’s largest wind farm off the Kent coast, today welcomed the Government’s decision to grant consent for its offshore planning applications.

The consent gives the go ahead for the offshore sections of the 1,000MW wind farm which, if built, will displace nearly 2 million tonnes of CO2 a year. The wind farm would also generate enough electricity to power 750,000 homes, equivalent to a quarter of Greater London’s households or every home in Kent and East Sussex.

The consent for the onshore substation, necessary to connect London Array into the national grid, remains outstanding and will now be subject to a Public Inquiry.

Andrew Murfin, a Director of London Array Limited, said:

“This is a significant step forward in the development of the London Array offshore wind farm. The UK Government has a target of 10% of energy generation from renewables by 2010 and an aspiration to double that by 2020; to help reach these targets it is imperative that large scale wind farms such as London Array get the go-ahead and are built in the not too distant future.

“The UK faces two major long-term challenges - tackling CO2 emissions and delivering secure supplies of cleaner energy. Harnessing our indigenous renewable energy sources will make a significant contribution towards meeting both challenges.

“Finally, I welcome the Government’s commitments made during the recent Energy Review to increase financial support for the offshore wind industry and reform the planning system for major energy infrastructure projects.”

Welcoming today’s announcement, the BWEA’s Chief Executive, Maria McCaffery said:

“The BWEA is delighted by the first consent for the second phase of the UK’s world-leading offshore programme. The significance of London Array is far greater than the project itself, although this will bring many notable benefits to the UK in terms of clean, carbon free generation.

“Far more important is the clear signal from the UK to the rest of the world that this country is open for business for offshore wind and we look forward to more consents in the near future.”

ENDS

Notes for Editors:
1. The London Array consortium is made up of E.ON UK, Shell WindEnergy Ltd and CORE Ltd, a joint venture between Farm Energy, the originator of the project and DONG Energy.

2. The Government recently published its energy review, which recognised the need for additional support to boost offshore wind energy generation. It also recognized the need for fundamental reform of the planning system for major energy infrastructure projects. For more on the energy review:
www.dti.gov.uk/energy/review.

3. A computer animation of the project is available to broadcast media on +44 (0) 24 7618 3676.

The consortium planning to build the world’s largest offshore wind farm is appealing against Swale Borough Council’s decision to refuse permission for an onshore substation – needed to bring the electricity ashore and feed it into the National Grid.

The proposed substation at Cleve Hill, near Faversham, is a key element of the 1,000MW London Array wind farm, which, if built, would supply enough clean energy to meet the electricity consumption of every house in Kent and East Sussex.

The appeal follows Swale Borough Council Planning Committee’s decision on 5 June this year to reject London Array’s application to build the substation, against the recommendations of planning officers.

Andrew Murfin, Director, London Array Limited, said: “We firmly believe that this is an excellent project – and that Cleve Hill remains the only location that minimises environmental concerns while meeting the necessary technical criteria for such a critical element of the project.

“This view is shared by, among others, Kent County Council, SEEDA, Business Link, local chambers of commerce, Locate in Kent and the Institute of Directors as well as by environmental groups such as Greenpeace, WWF, Friends of the Earth and the Kent Green Party, all of whom support the London Array proposals.

“Swale councillors raised concerns when they considered our substation plans in June. We now hope that the enhancements we’ve made to our proposals result in a solution that is acceptable to everyone.”

Two of the major issues raised by councillors were:
• The impact on Goodnestone and Graveney of construction traffic; and
• The visual impact of the substation.

“After listening to local residents, Graveney Primary School and Swale councillors we’ve developed more specific measures to address traffic concerns and believe that the issues have been fully addressed,” said Mr Murfin. “We now look forward to sharing these new plans with the local community.”

The consortium has also been working with the Kent Architecture Centre to run a competition for the design of the substation. The winner, RMJM, a world-renowned firm of architects, has developed plans that enhance the architectural design of the substation in sympathy with the local landscape.

If approved, the project would bring substantial benefits to the local community, both directly and indirectly.

London Array is committed to using local companies, wherever feasible, in the construction of both the substation and the wind farm. In addition, the Kent economy could be further boosted as associated facilities, such as hotels, are also likely to be used during the construction process. Longer term, Kent has the opportunity to become a hub for offshore wind farms, creating a new industry for the area with the potential to create thousands of new jobs.

If approved, the project would also see an £850,000 package of community benefits, including a community fund, a fund for environmental schemes as well as substantial financial support for local education.
London Array is a consortium comprising three partners: Shell WindEnergy Ltd, E.ON UK Renewables Developments Ltd and CORE Ltd. CORE is a joint venture between UK developer Farm Energy, the originator of the project, and Danish wind power specialist Energi E2.

London Array is disappointed with the decision by Swale Borough Council to refuse planning permission for the substation at Cleve Hill, despite the planning officers’ recommendation for approval, which sets back efforts to develop the most advanced and largest of the new generation of offshore wind farms.

The London Array consortium members remain committed to this very significant project. We are now considering our next steps. Meanwhile, we continue our work in support of the other consents needed for the offshore elements of the project.

London Array Ltd held a public exhibition at Graveney Village Hall on 27th and 28th February, when representatives of the project partners were on-hand to explain the project and answer questions. Over the two days we estimate that we had about 150 visitors. We hope that we were able to give a full explanation of the project, the potential impacts and the mitigation measures we aim to adopt. The questions were varied, but did fall into four main topics:-

Visual
· Height and size of buildings and towers.
· Landscaping proposals.
· Will it be visible, and from where?

Noise
· Will the noise from the sub-station be noticeable, at the nearest residences and further afield?
· Will there be a noticeable transformer Œhum¹?
· How will noise be controlled?

Traffic
· How many additional HGV¹s, and over what period?
· How will the abnormal loads (the transformers) get to the site, particularly over the rail bridge?
· Road safety issues.
· Will London Array make a contribution to the proposed new village footpath?

Nature Conservation
· How will the cables be brought ashore to minimise disturbance to nature conservation?
· Impacts on protected species.

These issues will be fully addressed in our Environmental Statement, which will be submitted with the planning application. In addition, there were some questions on the planning process, and the next steps. The process is summarised below.
· Currently we are in the process of finalising our environmental impact assessment and preparing the Environmental Statement. This is a formal document that will accompany offshore and onshore works. This document will be ready around mid May, so we can confirm that no formal planning application for the sub-station at Cleve Hill (or the offshore works) will be made before that date.
· Following the submission of our planning and consent applications the Environmental Statement will be made available for inspection. Swale Council is formally required to advertise that it has received the onshore planning application and to invite comments.
· In addition to the formal requirements for consultation undertaken by Swale Council, we will be undertaking further consultation with statutory bodies and local residents. That will be the opportunity for us to explain our proposal in detail and set out the mitigation measures we aim to implement.
· In parallel, we will be consulting with Swale Council to seek agreement on draft planning conditions that would be attached to the planning permission, if granted. Planning conditions place formal requirements on the developer and are a means of ensuring that mitigation measures proposed by the developer, or required by the Council, can be legally enforced.
· It is difficult to judge how long it will take for Swale Council to consider our proposal, take account of comments received and reach a formal decision. In any case, we cannot seek internal approval and make a financial commitment to the project construction until all the major planning approvals and consents (for both the on-shore and off-shore work) have been granted. The timing of planning approvals and consents is largely outside of our control but we hope that all major approvals could be in place within 12 months of application.

We have a project web site at www.londonarray.com, which describes in more detail the project consortium, the onshore and offshore elements of the project and the consenting process. It also has a section for questions to be submitted to the project. We hope that you found the exhibition and the information in this leaflet useful. It is our objective to consult fully on our project proposals, and if we were unable to respond to you fully at the exhibition, or you require further information, please contact us via the website or by letter, phone or email as shown below.

Tim Proudler
London Array Ltd
c/o E.ON UK Renewables Ltd
Westwood Way
Westwood Business Park
Coventry CV4 8LG
Tel: 024 7642 4378
Fax: 024 7642 5443
http://www.londonarray.com

Win-win

“Last week’s cover article (KoS August 14) described well how the development of a major windfarm off Kent has to be balanced with protecting our natural heritage.

However, to entitle the article “Jobs vs Birds” does not reflect how the RSPB or the developers, London Array Ltd, see the issue.

KoS readers will be pleased to know that, with regard to the London Array windfarm, nature conservation organisations and the developers are in constructive discussions and are hopeful of achieving an overall “win-win” situation where neither wildlife nor people lose out”

Chris Corrigan

RSPB South East Regional Director

(Extract from ‘Kent on Sunday’)

London Array, UK’s flagship large offshore wind farm comes a step closer as CORE, E.ON UK and Shell WindEnergy apply for consent

London Array represents potential 10% of the UK Government’s 2010 renewables target

CORE Limited, E.ON UK Renewables and Shell WindEnergy Limited have today announced that their consortium, London Array Limited has submitted consents and planning applications for the London Array offshore wind farm project.

If built, the wind farm could generate up to 1,000 megawatts of renewable electricity, enough for more than 750,000 homes - equivalent to the household demand of Kent and East Sussex combined, or a quarter of greater London homes. The wind farm will also avoid emissions of up to 1.9m tonnes of carbon dioxide every year and could make up to 10% of the UK Government’s 2010 renewables targets.

London Array is the first of the Round 2 UK offshore wind farm projects, awarded an option for a lease by the Crown Estate in December 2003, to apply for consents. The applications come after an extensive consultation process as well as comprehensive technical and environmental studies.

The full development, costing up to £1.5bn, will require up to 270 wind turbines to generate 1,000 megawatts and would connect into the National Grid’s transmission system in Kent. The turbines would be located in the outer Thames Estuary, more than 20 kilometres offshore and equidistant from the coasts of Essex and Kent. Due to the distance of the wind farm from the shore, there is expected to be little visual impact from the coastline.

If consents are granted (by national and local government officials), the construction programme envisages London Array being built in up to four phases. The first phase would be commissioned in 2008, and it is hoped that all phases would be complete by 2010/11. The consortium is hoping for consent to be granted in 2006 to achieve the proposed construction programme.

Stephen Tindale, Greenpeace Executive Director said: “The Government’s Chief Scientific Advisor Sir David King considers climate change to be the greatest challenge our planet has ever faced. It is crucially important that we clean up the way we generate our energy in response to this threat and that means developing renewables like wind power as fast as possible. The UK is blessed with the best wind resource in Europe. The London Array offshore wind farm, which when complete will be the largest wind farm anywhere in the world, represents a major step forward in harnessing the UK’s massive wind resource and will contribute to the UK’s efforts to avoid the worst effects of climate change.”

Graeme Sweeney, CEO of Shell Renewables said: “I am delighted that London Array is the first of the Round 2 UK offshore wind farms to submit its consent applications, setting a precedent for these larger projects. We appreciate the wide and open consultation with all stakeholders that has provided valuable input to our planning applications and we look forward to continuing this as we work towards obtaining consents. This step is particularly pleasing after our recent announcement to proceed with the 108 megawatts Offshore Wind Park Egmond in the Netherlands.”

Jason Scagell, Director of E.ON UK Renewables, said: “It’s only through building more powerful wind farm sites such as this that we’ll be able to reach the Government’s tough targets for renewable generation. This application is further evidence of our commitment to green generation within the UK. Last year we completed the construction of Scroby Sands, one of the UK’s first commercial-sized offshore wind farm, off the coast of Great Yarmouth and we’re progressing further offshore developments around the coast of the UK.”

“E.ON UK is dedicated to working with the government to reduce carbon emissions and further cementing our position as one of the UK’s leading renewable generators.”

Erik Kjær Sørensen, Director of CORE said “Submitting the consents applications is an important milestone in the development of what will be a truly landmark project. It is an excellent example of European companies working together to make a serious contribution to combating climate change, whilst simultaneously pushing forward the frontiers of technological development.

This project will supply the equivalent of a quarter of London’s domestic load and will surely, once and for all, bury the myth that wind energy is insignificant. Furthermore it is merely the first of a number of similar sized wind power schemes that will place the UK market at the forefront of offshore renewable energy development worldwide.”

ENDS

For Further information please contact:

Shell Media Relations: Lisa Givert Tel:+44 (0) 20 7934 2914

Notes to Editors
E.ON UK Renewables is part of the E.ON Group, the world’s largest investor-owned utility. It’s one of the UK’s largest renewable generation businesses, currently generating enough electricity to supply the needs of more than 100,000 homes. E.ON UK Renewables has stakes in around 20 wind farms across the country, is co-firing biomass at three of its power stations and owns the largest hydro power station in England and Wales. The company has recently completed the construction of Scroby Sands, a 60MW offshore wind farm off the coast of Great Yarmouth; and is also progressing further developments in the Solway Firth and Swansea Bay.

Shell WindEnergy was established in 1999 and focuses on development, ownership and operation of large scale wind farms. Shell WindEnergy is part of Shell Renewables, one of the five core businesses of the Royal Dutch / Shell Group of Companies, established in 1997 to pursue commercial opportunities in solar photovoltaics and wind energy. Shell WindEnergy is one of the 10 largest wind farms asset owners in the world and has stakes in about 740MW operational capacity of wind projects across Europe and the United States. As part of the Royal Dutch / Shell Group of Companies, Shell WindEnergy has access to considerable experience and expertise in offshore development.

CORE is a joint venture between Farm Energy and ENERGI E2. Farm Energy was originally established as a specialist wind power manufacturing and servicing company in 1988. In 1997, the company reorganised to concentrate on development work for onshore and offshore wind farms in the UK. It was the originator of the London Array project. ENERGI E2 is a leading Danish energy generator, whose production portfolio includes around 810MW of renewable energy, 460MW of which is wind power. E2 has acquired considerable offshore experience and completed in December 2003 the 165MW Nysted offshore wind farm in Denmark.

Public Exhibitions

Public exhibitions will be held to provide further information on the project. An exhibition will be held for the community around Graveney on 17th and 18th June, with an emphasis on the onshore substation proposals.

Wider exhibitions will be held as follows:

Whitstable : Wednesday 22nd June 2005
The Horsebridge Centre, 11 Horsebridge Road, Whitstable, Kent CT5 1AF
Opening hours - 10:00 to 18:00

Margate : Wednesday 29th June 2005
The Margate Media Centre, 1-13 King Street, Margate
Opening hours - 10:00 to 18:00

Clacton : Friday 8th July 2005
Essex Hall, Station Road, Clacton-on-Sea, Essex CO15 1SE
Opening hours - 10:00 to 18:00

Details of the exhibitions will also be publicised in local papers.