Our operations

Project development

The proposed Race Bank Offshore Wind Farm would be located on a shallow sandbank approximately 27km (16.8 miles) from Blakeney Point on the North Norfolk coast and 28km (17.4 miles) from Chapel St Leonards on the Lincolnshire coast at its closest points.

The proposed Race Bank site boundary was modified from the original awarded site following the collection and evaluation of site data and detailed consultations with statutory consultees and stakeholders.

Grid connection

We undertook a feasibility study into possible grid connections for all three of our Round 2 wind farm developments (Lincs, Docking Shoal and Race Bank). In October 2005 we received and accepted grid connection offers for all three sites from National Grid at the existing Walpole substation.

Subject to consent, export cables from the wind farms will be buried within the seabed and then once onshore buried underground to Walpole. An extension to the existing National Grid-owned substation at Walpole will be required to transform the power from the chosen export voltage to 400kV before being delivered into the national electricity network.

Environmental assessments

When assessing consent applications, Government ministers are required to consider the potential impacts of projects. To help this process, we carried out an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and submitted an Environmental Statement (ES) with our consent application in January 2009.

The ES has been considered by key stakeholders and subjected to public scrutiny and comment. Comments received during the consultation period will be taken into account by the consenting authorities when they decide whether consent should be granted or refused.

Centrica held exhibitions to give members of the public the opportunity to see the Environmental Statement and to ask questions about the proposed project. The dates and venues were advertised and publicised through the local media in Lincolnshire and north Norfolk.

Supplementary Environmental Information (SEI)

Since submission of the ES for Race Bank, additional work has been voluntarily undertaken and the resulting information published in September 2009:

• Population Viability Analysis of the north Norfolk Sandwich tern population

  In response to a request from stakeholders, Centrica has commissioned a population modelling study to investigate the potential effects of the proposed Race Bank Offshore Wind Farm on the Sandwich tern colonies at Scolt Head and Blakeney Point, part of the North Norfolk Coast Special Protection Area.

  Download Population Viability Analysis report.

• Surveys of additional areas of the proposed export cable corridor including an impact assessment

  Following detailed engineering design work and discussions with stakeholders regarding the location of special features of interest, three additional areas have been surveyed to allow minor alterations to the original cable route. The report provides information on the bathymetry, seabed topography, sub-surface geology and biology of these areas, and a revised proposed cable route.

  Download Surveys of additional areas.

• Revised wireframe and photomontage images showing what the proposed wind farms would look like

  Centrica has prepared revised images based on new photographs incorporating the constructed Lynn and Inner Dowsing Offshore Wind Farms (now operational) and following the new guidelines for larger sized images. The new images present a clearer representation of how the wind farms may look when viewed from the selected viewpoints on the north Norfolk and Lincolnshire coastlines.

  The photomontages are available on CD by request at the details below, or alternatively are available to view in hard copy at the public viewing locations, also listed below. (Please note, due to the large file sizes and specific page sizing guidelines the photomontages were unable to be put on this website).

The supplementary information should be read in the context of the detailed information provided in the original Environmental Statement and its accompanying Non-Technical Summary.

The SEI and the ES are available for public viewing at the following locations:

• Skegness Library, 23 Roman Bank, Skegness, Lincs PE25 2SA
• King’s Lynn Library, London Road, King’s Lynn, Norfolk PE30 5EZ
• Wells-next-the-Sea Library and Learning Centre, Station Road, Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk, NR23 1EA
• King’s Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council, King’s Court, Chapel Street, King’s Lynn, Norfolk, PE30 1EX
• South Holland District Council, Council Offices, Priory Road, Spalding, Lincolnshire, PE11 2XE
• Boston Borough Council, Municipal Buildings, West Street, Boston, Lincs, PE21 8QR
• Lincolnshire County Council, County Offices, Newland, Lincoln, LN1 1YL
• Norfolk County Council, County Hall, Martineau Lane, Norwich, Norfolk, NR1 2DH

Download a Non-Technical Summary (NTS) of the SEI.

Requests for copies of the SEI (priced at £5 on CD – please make cheques payable to “Centrica Renewable Energy Limited”), or additional copies of the SEI Non-Technical Summary (free), should be made in writing to:

• Centrica (RBW) Ltd, Centrica Renewable Energy Ltd, Millstream East, Maidenhead Road, Windsor, Berkshire, SL4 5GD.

The Race Bank Non-Technical Summary, published in January 2009, is also available in the Race Bank Useful Downloads section.