Brighton & Hove Friends of the Earth (BHFOE) is pleased to see that EON is progressing with the Rampion windfarm with the announcement that it will be using 116, 3.5MW turbines, with a tip height of 140.2 metres in a smaller array than originally planned. The wind farm will provide enough electricity for 290,000 homes and save 600,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.
BHFOE is also welcoming that fact that since the start of the initial consultation, the width of the wind farm has been reduced quite significantly. In the latest plans, the field of view has reduced from 33 to 10.6 degrees when viewed from the Heritage Coast and the distance of the closest turbine (to the Heritage Coast) has also been increased. These changes, along with the fact that EON has selected a turbine which is only 140 metres tall, mean that the visual impact from the Heritage Coast and the South Downs National Park is very much reduced.
Chris Todd from BHFOE said:
“This is really good news as it brings us another step closer to reducing our carbon emissions here in Sussex. We also welcome the fact that EON has altered the size and layout of the wind farm which will dramatically reduce the visual impact from the Heritage Coast and the wider South Downs.
“We look forward to the wind farm producing its first electricity in 2017 and being fully commissioned the following year. Given the current failure to properly address climate change both in this country and abroad, this is a much needed development.”
Other wind farm facts:
[1] The wind farm will be built in an area covering 72 square kilometres compared with the 122 square kilometres it was given permission for and the 167 square kilometres that it first proposed. EON was also given permission to build up to 175 turbines.
[2] Energy generated in 1 year is estimated to be 1,366 GWh.
[3] From Devil’s Dyke the field of view has reduced from 58.3 to 28.2 degrees, although the distance to the nearest turbine is about the same as before.
