New energy schemes to be rolled out in Cumbria
Last updated 13:10, Thursday, 08 January 2009
SOUTH and West Cumbria’s shoreline has been dubbed the “Energy Coast” due to a raft of projects, from wind farms to offshore gas storage facilities, set to be rolled out over the next few years
Reporter John Simpson explains what the schemes mean for Furness.
WIND farms and new gas exploration and gas storage schemes, together worth billions of pounds, are currently planned by an array of companies.
They are seen as part of what the regeneration organisation West Lakes Renaissance has branded the Cumbrian “Energy Coast”.
The first scheme to be rolled out will be Walney Wind Farm.
Danish energy firm Dong, which has government permission to develop the huge wind farm, is expected to begin construction work on the first phase of the 42-turbine site later this year.
An impressively large offshore crane barge, the Svanen, has been hired by Dong to install the massive steel foundation pieces into which turbine towers are later fixed.
The crane will be visible from the mainland as it works on the new wind farm site, which at its nearest point is eight miles off Walney.
Once the wind farm is complete, there will be a total of 72 turbines off Walney, including the existing Barrow Offshore Wind wind farm four miles off the island.
However, the government, keen to increase use of renewable energy, has given permission for a total of more than 300 turbines off the Barrow coast.
This year survey boats could be seen out and about for other projects, such as the massive West of Duddon Sands wind farm with up to 152 turbines.
Barrow port owner ABP is already receiving inquiries about use of the port.
Manager Chris Clouter said: “We are actively pursuing a number of enquiries regarding the various wind farm developments planned for the eastern Irish Sea, but as yet we have no firm indication of what activities may take place in 2009 or which vessels may call at the port.
“These inquiries range from the possibility of utilising the Port of Barrow as a load out facility for pre-assembled foundation pieces weighing several hundred tonnes each, to providing sites for establishing operation and maintenance bases as we have done with the Barrow Offshore wind farm.”
In addition to wind farm construction, at least one energy company, Serica, will be conducting gas exploration drilling close to the Furness coast.
Stuart Klosinski, industrial development director of Furness Enterprise, said that with UK supplies declining and with incidents such as the row over supply between Russia and Ukraine, the pressure is on to find more reserves in UK waters. He said: “There is likely to be some drilling for gas taking place off the coast sometime during the year in new exploration blocks licensed two years ago.”
Furness Enterprise hopes the various Energy Coast projects on the cards will create some local jobs such as port and maintenance contracts.
It welcomes the proposed new gas storage and import projects because they will help to prolong the 200 jobs either employed directly at the Centrica gas terminals complex or as contractors for Centrica.
ENERGY COAST PROJECTS IN FURNESS
WALNEY WIND FARM: There are up to 139 turbines, costing £500m and 14 miles off Walney. Owned by Danish Oil and Natural Gas, work is expected to start offshore this year installing massive steel foundation pieces for the first 42 turbines.
WEST OF DUDDON SANDS: Wind farm of up to 152 massive wind turbines serving 372,000 homes and costing £750m – might be some activity by survey vessels and could be some physical work on land cable tunnels at Heysham where the power cable will come ashore. No plans to start building turbines until next year or later. It is owned by an Anglo-Danish-Japanese project trading as Morecambe Wind Ltd.
ORMONDE: Combined wind farm of 30 turbines plus a marginal gas field each powering two offshore sub stations and sending power to Heysham, costing £300m.
Recently bought out by Swedish energy firm Vattenfall. Ormonde will include a platform with three 30MW gas turbines to feed from the two Ormonde gas fields underneath – delivering power during periods of light wind. The 165m high turbines of Ormonde should be turning by 2011. They will power 111,000 homes.
GATEWAY: A £600m gas storage scheme 14 miles south west of Barrow, by Stag Energy, which will leach out giant salt caverns beneath the seabed and then use them for storing off peak gas.
Spokesman Paul Taylor said: “Subject to securing the necessary financing of the project, the Gateway team hope to award the first contracts for the project during the final quarter of this year, with the aim to start the first elements of physical construction in the final quarter of 2010.The scheme is aiming to start commercial operations in 2014.”
BAINS: Gas storage scheme in which owner Centrica would fill fissures created by extracted natural gas with gas from the national grid to be stored off peak, sending it back through Barrow when it is needed and reducing the power of overseas gas suppliers.
PORT MERIDIAN: A £650m robot port 20 miles out at sea from Barrow. A nozzle system would lie on the seabed until a ship arrives and then rise to let liquefied natural gas from the Gulf, which has been reconverted to gaseous gas, be pumped into the national gas grid via a seabed pipeline to Barrow gas terminals. The Norwegian firm Hoegh LNG is behind it.
DRILLING FOR GAS: Several exploration companies plan to drill for gas in licensed blocks off the Furness coast and one has plans to drill for heavy oil off the Walney shore.
Will the energy coast make a difference to the Furness economy?
Wind turbines are definitely not the answer to energy problems but they are definitely a part of the answer to our energy problems.
If we accept that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and if we ignore the overstated claims of the anti-wind lobby then wind energy is looking particularly attractive. It is a proven energy source, easy to install and decomission and is the cheapest form of renewable energy.
View all comments on this article
Have your say
The answer to this is "no" but they will be part of the answer. Along with a mixed fleet of low carbon generation they will be able to make a contribution when the wind blows. The biggest contribution will be energy efficiency because it costs less than other decarbonising technology. The government have committed the country to making a reduction of CO2 emissions by 2050 of 80%. That means that we'll have to get by on 20% of our current CO2 emissions. The sooner that we can get the reduction in place, the quicker the problem will abate.
Posted by Bill Dickson on 11 May 2009 kl. 19:51