Thanet wind farm extension refused

The Danish energy company wanted to erect another 34 wind turbines to its existing developing of 100 in the Thames estuary, which was completed in September 2010,

The 250-metre high turbines, to be installed 8km offshore from Pegwell Bay, would have added up to 340 megawatts of renewable energy to the grid.

Vattenfall argued that the 34 new turbines would generate more power than the existing 100 added together.

However, the secretary of state for business, energy & industrial strategy, Alok Sharma, has refused Vattenfall’s application for a development consent order, citing, among other impacts, concerns about the navigational safety of shipping traffic in the vicinity.

The Planning Inspectorate accepted the proposed project for examination in 2018. The examining authority submitted its recommendation to the secretary of state in September 2019 that it should be refused.

Danielle Lane, UK country manager for Vattenfall, said: “Naturally we’re very disappointed by this decision and will consider how we proceed from here. We continue to believe that Thanet Extension would be an important development for the local area, for UK energy security, and for the drive to reduce emissions.”

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