Boaters have welcomed news that plans to develop the Atlantic Array windfarm in the Bristol Channel have been dropped
Boaters have welcomed news that plans to build a huge windfarm in the Bristol Channel have been scrapped. German developer RWE Innogy says it has dropped its Atlantic Array Project because of challenges posed financing the project.
The multi-million pound project envisaged a windfarm covering an area of 200 square kilometres and comprising up to 240 turbines, each 220m (720ft) tall. It was to have been located around eight miles from Lundy Island, ten miles from the coast of North Devon and 14 miles from the South Wales coast.
Local harbourmasters and boat owners had voiced strong objections to the scheme on grounds of safety. They pointed out that leisure craft and commercial ships alike would be endangered if they lost power as the water is too deep to safely anchor, and strong currents in the area could easily result in their being driven into the turbines.
The Crown Estate has agreed to RWE Innogy’s request to terminate the agreement for the Bristol Channel Zone, allowing RWE Innogy to stop its development activities in the Zone, and to surrender the option for the Atlantic Array project, thereby removing RWE Innogy’s seabed rights.
