UK - SMart Wind scoping report for Hornsea offshore wind farms

SMart Wind, the consortium led by Mainstream Renewable Power and Siemens Project Ventures, has submitted a Scoping Report to the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) detailing the proposed approach to the development of the first wind energy projects in the 4GW Hornsea Zone.

It sets out the proposed content, key issues and methodologies for the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), the results of which will be included in the Environment Statement, due to be submitted with the consent application in the summer of 2012. The report covers the offshore wind farm, the offshore substation; the export cable route corridor associated with the onshore study area, as well as the grid connection at Killingholme substation in North Lincolnshire.

SMart Wind’s General Manager, Chris Hill commented: “The Scoping Report gives interested parties and non-statutory stakeholders the opportunity to have their say on things such as how the onshore cable route is selected and what mitigation measures could be put in place. It also gives an opportunity to influence the scope of the technical studies that need to be undertaken as part of the Environmental Impact Assessment process.

We strongly encourage people to have their say by submitting their comments either to the IPC (http://infrastructure.independent.gov.uk/) or to SMart Wind directly (www.SMartWind.com.uk) before the end of January 2011.”

Key facts on the Zone – Hornsea (Zone 4):
- The Hornsea Zone will provide enough electricity to meet 4% of all electricity demand in the UK and power approximately 3 million homes.
- The UK goal for renewable electricity generation is approximately 30%. Hornsea’s offshore wind power generation will account for approximately 12% of that target.
- The width of the Hornsea Zone is approximately equivalent to the width of the UK from Liverpool to Hull.
- The total Zone area is 4,735 km².
- The Zone lies between 34km and 190km off the Yorkshire coast.
- Water depths across the Zone are predominantly between 30 and 40m, with maximum depths to 70m.
- The Zone is adjacent to the River Humber, 200km south of Newcastle and 75km north of The Wash.
- The Humber estuary is triangulated by three main population centres, Hull to the north, Grimsby to the southeast and Scunthorpe to the southwest.

Mainstream’s Centre of Excellence for Offshore Wind farm in London combines a dynamic and entrepreneurial team that is united by a passion and vision to deliver commercially viable projects at pace and at scale. Building on the experience of key individuals responsible for developing the Greater Gabbard Offshore Wind Farm, the team continues to attract key experienced individuals from the UK offshore wind energy industry and beyond.

To date the team has secured development rights for 5,420MW of offshore wind power:
- 4 GW Hornsea Zone
- 450 MW Neart na Gaoithe offshore wind farm in Scotland
- 1GW Horizont project in German waters.

Since its inception in February 2008, Mainstream Renewable Power has grown to become a global company with 100 employees across eight countries and four continents. Mainstream’s mission is to work together with partners and communities to deliver a successful business that accelerates global progress towards a sustainable future.

The company’s vision is of a future where economies can thrive, free from the restrictions of fossil fuels. Mainstream has the passion, the expertise and the resources to make that vision a reality.

Siemens Project Ventures GmbH (SPV) is a company of Financial Services (SFS), the finance division of Siemens. Together with renowned partners, SPV has with equity capital contributions been involved worldwide in the development of infrastructure projects, particularly in the energy, transport and healthcare sectors. SPV has already participated in the development of 14 international power plant projects with an overall capacity of more than 8.000 MW as well as in three telecommunication projects, two medical centers and an airport, with a cumulative project volume of 10 billion USD.

The Siemens cross sector Financial Services (SFS) is an international provider of financial solutions in the business-to-business area. With about 2,000 employees and an international network of financial companies coordinated by Siemens Financial Services GmbH, Munich, SFS supports Siemens as well as non-affiliated companies, focusing on the three sectors of energy, industry and healthcare. SFS finances infrastructure, equipment and working capital and act as a competent manager of financial risks within Siemens.

In September of this year SMart Wind secured a 1GW Grid Connection Agreement at Killingholme in North Lincolnshire placing the project firmly on track to commence construction in 2014 with the remaining 3GW planned for construction between 2015 and 2020.

The consortium has been carrying out various onshore and offshore surveys throughout 2010 in order to ensure that the EIA programme remains on track to submit a full application for Project One to the IPC in the summer of 2012.

Hornsea is one of the three largest Zones awarded for development under The Crown Estate’s Round 3 programme in December 2009. SMart Wind, a 50/50 joint venture between Siemens Project Ventures (SPV) and Mainstream, has assembled a unique vertically integrated consortium ensuring all major deliverables such as High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC), cables, wind turbines and vessels are in place to commence construction on time. Siemens Energy Sector companies are expected to supply wind turbines and offshore substations.

In December 2009, the SMart Wind consortium, led by Mainstream Renewable Power and Siemens Project Ventures (SPV), a division company of Siemens Financial Services, was awarded a contract to develop 4GW of wind farms by 2020 as part of The Crown Estate’s Round 3 offshore wind farm programme. SMart Wind will develop projects in the “Hornsea” Zone, comprising 4,735 square kilometres off the UK’s Yorkshire coast. Hornsea is one of nine Zones to be developed in the seas around Great Britain as part of The Crown Estate’s Round 3 programme, and with a total planned installed capacity of 32GW this is enough to meet a quarter of the UK's electricity needs.

The contract for Hornsea was signed in London on December 22, 2009. Siemens Project Ventures and Mainstream Renewable Power developed a vertically-integrated strategy which will take a modular approach to project design, development and delivery

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