Representation by Norfolk County Council (Norfolk County Council)
- Date submitted
- 20 January 2020
- Submitted by
- Local authorities
Thank you for consulting Norfolk County Council, please see below the County Councils comments below that relate the East Anglia One North Offshore Windfarm S52 consultation. (a) General Comments It is understood that the onshore development (landfall and grid connection) associated with these two offshore windfarm proposals will be located outside of Norfolk within the neighbouring County of Suffolk. As such it is unlikely that these proposals will have any immediate impacts on Norfolk in terms of landscape, ecology and archaeological matters. Furthermore, it is not felt that there will be any significant transport impacts on Norfolk arising from either the construction or operation of the onshore infrastructure. (b) Employment and Training While Norfolk County Council welcomes the potential employment opportunities the offshore proposals will have within the local/regional area both during construction and once operational, there are significant economic issues, which the development consent order (DCO)will need to address with regard to: (a) The cumulative impacts on the local labour market; and supply chain (i.e. taking into account other planned NSIPs e.g. Sizewell C; Norfolk Vanguard Offshore Wind Farm; Hornsea Project Three; and Boreas Offshore Windfarm). (b) Developing a local skills strategy to ensure there are sufficient skilled workers. Norfolk County Council would especially welcome measures that will enable permanent, long term job opportunities to be taken up by local people; and (c) In addition the County Council would support measures that would encourage/enable people currently excluded from the formal labour market to be supported into jobs at any level/degree of permanency. It is felt that given the proposal’s proximity to Norfolk and the likelihood of additional major construction projects in both Norfolk and Suffolk arising from the offshore wind energy sector and Nuclear sector (as outlined above) there is a need for an Education, Skills and Employment Strategy to be prepared to address / consider the wider cumulative impacts arising from other planned NSIPs in the area (i.e. covering the above offshore projects and Sizewell C). The DCO needs to have a requirement setting out the need for an education, employment and skills strategy. (c ) Transmission network – grid connection comments There are wider grid connection issues in respect of the 400kV network which runs between Norfolk and Suffolk. It is considered that as part of any the DCO application and accompanying Environmental Statement there needs to be clarification on whether there is likely to be any requirement in the wider area for either: (a) reinforcement of the existing 400 kV network; or (b) new overhead lines (400kV). Given the amount of electricity coming ashore from other offshore wind energy projects and the increased generation from Sizewell C, the DCO application will need to address the in-combination impact on the 400 kV transmission network in the wider strategic area i.e. including the potential for reinforcement and new lines in both Norfolk and Suffolk.