Work on offshore wind farm to start (From The Northern Echo)

Work on offshore wind farm to start

5:38pm Monday 6th February 2012 in Redcar News

WORK is due to start on erecting an offshore wind farm off the east Cleveland coast.

EDF Energy Renewables will begin the installation of its 27turbine Teesside Offshore Wind Farm this week at a site off South Gare, Redcar.

The wind farm will be located 1.5km from the shore at its closest point, just south of the mouth of the River Tees.

The scheme will see up to 100 workers assembling the turbines once the concrete foundations have been laid on the sea bed.

Project manager Tim Bland said: "This is an exciting but very demanding project.

"An offshore wind farm requires much closer integration of design and construction activities than an onshore wind farm because of the additional challenges of operating at sea and the vagaries of environmental conditions.

"However, we have a very experienced, mainly local, team working on the project, all the necessary permissions and consents are in place and we are liaising closely with all the relevant authorities, including local councils, to ensure that the work proceeds according to plan."

Foundation works will continue until June and will be marked with temporary navigation warning lights.

These works will be followed by the more visible above-sea installation of transition pieces, turbine towers, hubs and blades.

Full monitoring of construction noise and marine ecology will be maintained during and after the work.

A Fishing Liaison Group has been set up to ensure that there is no adverse impact on local commercial fishing activity.

The first turbines are planned to be installed in late summer, with electricity due to be generated from the wind farm in early autumn.

Christian Egal, chief executive officer of EDF Energy Renewables, said: "When operational, the wind farm will help to support the Government's intention to have 30 per cent of all electricity from renewable sources by 2020 and make an important contribution towards the UK's target for the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions."

A leaflet providing more information on the project is being distributed to local residents.

An information line is also available on 0800-051-1650 for anyone who would like more details on the project.