The six-month examination of the Dogger Bank Teesside A&B development consent order application by the Planning Inspectorate concluded yesterday.
Dogger Bank Teesside A&B comprises two 1.2 gigawatt wind farms located 165 kilometres from the UK coast at their closest point and is planned to connect to the national grid at the existing Lackenby substation near Eston, in Redcar & Cleveland.
The examination started in Redcar in August last year and included both open floor and issue-specific hearings plus five group visits to the proposed landfall, along the onshore cable route, and to the sites for the converter station and connection works to the national grid.
The examination involved approximately 40 stakeholder organisations and individuals with an interest in the project proposals. Around 55 statements of common ground were agreed with key groups as part of the process, and a total of more than 550 documents were submitted over the period.
The examiners will now spend up to three months preparing a recommendation for the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, who will take a further three months to issue the consenting decision including, if approved, the final development consent order.
It is anticipated that the Secretary of State’s decision will be announced in August this year.
Assuming consent is granted, stakeholders, and particularly those directly impacted, will continue to be engaged and involved in the final planning for the construction and operation and maintenance phases of the wind farms.
Image: Forewind