Representation by Andrew King
- Date submitted
- 10 July 2024
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
The project has been established on the basis that the connection to the grid should be at Penwortham with the feed coming onshore near Blackpool Airport. This routing and the substations involved will cause severe environmental damage to the Fylde and needs a complete rethink. The connection to the grid and landfall should be at Heysham where existing windfarm feeds come ashore and where Heysham 1 power station is due to be decommissioned in the next few years. Such a reappraisal will impact the offshore components of the project thus the offshore and onshore components of the project cannot be considered in isolation. The offshore components of the project have taken a very simplistic view of the effect upon the Irish Sea Ferry services which provide a lifeline service to the Isle of Man. The restrictions imposed by the proposed structures in adverse weather conditions will significantly increase the risk of collision or cancellation of the services if the operators deem the risk too high. Any such cancellation is a serious issue for the Isle of Man and its economy.