Smart Wind, a consortium led by Mainstream Renewable Power and Siemens Project Ventures, has looked at the proposed content, key issues and methodologies for the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), the results of which will be included in the Environment Statement, due to be submitted with the consent application in the summer of 2012.

The report covers the offshore wind farm, the offshore substation, the export cable route corridor associated with the onshore study area, as well as the grid connection at Killingholme substation in North Lincolnshire.

SMart Wind’s General Manager, Chris Hill, says: “The Scoping Report gives interested parties and non-statutory stakeholders the opportunity to have their say on things such as how the onshore cable route is selected and what mitigation measures could be put in place. It also gives an opportunity to influence the scope of the technical studies that need to be undertaken as part of the Environmental Impact Assessment process.”

In September of this year SMart Wind secured a 1GW Grid Connection Agreement at Killingholme in setting the offshore wind farm project on track to commence construction in 2014 with the remaining 3 GW planned for construction between 2015 and 2020.

The Hornsea Zone

Hornsea is one of the three largest Zones awarded for development under The Crown Estate’s Round 3 offshore wind programme in December 2009.