Sheringham Offshore
Wind Farm set to energise Norfolk
North Norfolk is to join Britain’s efforts to find alternative sources
of energy for the future, with the proposed development of an offshore
wind farm approximately 11 miles off the coast of Sheringham in
the Greater Wash.
The proposed Sheringham Shoal
Offshore Wind Farm is being developed by the company Scira Offshore
Energy Limited, (Scira). Scira was awarded a licence to develop
this offshore wind farm in December 2003 by The Crown Estate and
the company is now in the process of undertaking an Environmental
Impact Assessment and consulting with key stakeholders and the general
public.
Wind energy is a totally
renewable source of energy that provides clean, pollution free,
‘home grown’ energy. The UK government has set a target to produce
10% of the UK’s electricity from renewable energy by 2010. The Sheringham
Shoal Offshore Wind Farm will provide enough power for approximately
238,000 homes, over twice the equivalent electricity required to
supply the whole of the north Norfolk coast.
Megan Arnold, Communications
Manager for Scira said: “The UK has the largest wind resource of
all of Europe and the north Norfolk coast is an ideal location to
harness renewable energy with its strong offshore winds. The East
of England has a target of generating 14% of electricity from renewable
energy by 2010 and the Sheringham Shoal Offshore Wind Farm would
provide a valuable contribution to this target.”
There are many factors to
be taken into account when planning an offshore wind farm. The Sheringham
Shoal Offshore Wind Farm is likely to contain between 60 and 90
wind turbines, with a maximum output of approximately 315MW of electricity.
Scira Offshore Energy Ltd.
is now in the process of consulting with stakeholders, interest
groups and the public in the region to ensure that the Sheringham
Shoal Offshore Wind Farm is an all round success.
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