North Channel Wind says Northern Ireland has taken another significant step forward in its journey towards 100% clean energy following the Department for the Economy’s publication of the Offshore Renewable Energy Action Plan: Consultation on the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Environmental Report and Report to Inform Appropriate Assessment (RIAA).
The SEA shows zones within Northern Ireland’s marine area deemed to be the best for installing offshore wind turbines. Offshore wind will not only deliver on carbon reductions, but will improve energy security and offer major opportunities for new supply chains and jobs for Northern Ireland businesses.
Niamh Kenny, Project Director of North Channel Wind, the renewable energy company which is proposing to develop a floating offshore wind farm in the North Channel of the Irish Sea, says the maps are a close match to her company’s proposed site.
“We are very pleased that our own exhaustive constraints, mapping and engineering assessments have been vindicated, as a significant portion of North Channel Wind 1 is in a Refined Area, recommended for offshore wind,” says Ms Kenny.
The publication of the SEA is one of the key catalysts to begin an offshore wind leasing round. The seabed around Northern Ireland is owned and managed by The Crown Estate, which controls all leasing agreements.
“The SEA has considered all of the environmental constraints and the DfE has now proposed for consultation areas in Northern Ireland’s marine area which could be used for offshore wind development. It is the result of collaboration already undertaken with key statutory and non-statutory stakeholders,” says Ms Kenny.
The public will now have an opportunity to comment on the SEA in a process which will remain open for 12 weeks.
For more information visit the Department for the Economy's website: https://www.economy-ni.gov.uk/...