The White Cross Offshore Wind project could see eight floating turbines built 52km off the North Devon coast. But not everyone is thrilled about it.
The site, which would cover an area of 50km2 - that's about 7,000 football pitches - could provide green energy to 135,000 homes. It's part of a big push across the country to reach net-zero by 2050.
The cable route after lots of chats and feedback is set to land at Saunton Sands and connect to the electricity grid at East Yelland substation. The developer says this project will be really important for growing a regional supply chain in the Southwest of England. It'll also create new jobs and skills for local people.
The White Cross floating wind project will help other offshore wind developments in the Celtic Sea region and beyond get off the ground. But in a letter to our sister print title the North Devon Journal, one writer says that the arguments are missing the point, as people are not unhappy about the wind farm but the route of the cabling across the beach.
Want the latest Devon breaking news and top stories first? Click here to join our WhatsApp group. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Read the full letter below:
There has recently been much debate on this page with regard to the rights and wrongs of the White Cross windfarm project and its cabling through Saunton Beach and Braunton Burrows. Much of this criticism appears to make the binary choice between having a wind farm or not, with many environmentally-minded souls quite rightly reminding us all of our need to green our energy supply.
I think this somewhat misses the point. Having attended the public meeting around this issue in Braunton, I didn’t hear any voices not wanting a wind farm, they simply question the routing of the cable and the resulting damage to nature, community and local business.
There are various offshore projects being proposed in the Celtic Sea and another major project due to bring solar from Morocco, that all need to connect to the grid. It is clear to me that the maximum point of environmental impact is at the place where these projects make landfall. At the public meeting I asked the White Cross developer why it was not co-ordinating with the Morocco Solar project to make landfall at the same point (Cornborough, just south of Westward Ho!). Their reply was that these projects are on “separate timelines” , which begs the question “why?”.
It is clear that these projects are of strategic national importance so, if this is the case, why are they not being co-ordinated nationally to ensure maximum efficiency and minimum disruption and the timelines and routings specified accordingly?
Our local councils are spending vast amounts of time looking at this when, in reality, it should be a decision taken at a national level. It is not even clear whereabouts the grid capacity to take this supply is available. Our MP has stated she believes it is available at Alverdiscott where the solar project will connect, but is this correct and, if so, are the councils even clear on this?
Green energy is vital, natural environments are also vital, the issue here is not “green versus NIMBY” it is about the madness of Government allowing a free market in energy exploitation with no coherent, strategic plan. Perhaps all sides need to come together and campaign for the only sensible way forward that balances energy needs with environmental concerns and ask the council to push this to a national level where it belongs.
Mark Johnson
Braunton
