White Cross submits more environmental data for windfarm

The team behind the White Cross offshore windfarm has submitted further environmental information to support their application to North Devon Council and the Marine Management Organisation (MMO). 

White Cross Offshore Windfarm Limited, a joint venture between Cobra and Flotation Energy, seeks consent to construct and operate a 100MW floating offshore windfarm and connect it to the grid.

The proposed windfarm, located 52 kilometres off the North Devon coast, will feature six to eight state-of-the-art floating wind turbines, generating enough clean electricity to power approximately 135,000 households.

In response to North Devon Council's request for additional environmental data following consultations in 2023, White Cross has now provided new information for review.

The newly submitted data includes results from updated ecological surveys and assessments, additional reports on the cable route and landfall, an updated work schedule focusing on public safety and traffic considerations, and independent reviews of site selections for the project's landfall point, cable corridor, and substation site.

Project Director Al Rayner commented: “Windfarms like White Cross are vital to help secure the UK’s future energy demands, reducing carbon emissions to tackle the climate crisis. White Cross will not only produce enough renewable electricity to power over 135,000 households, it will also an instrumental in proving the viability of future floating offshore wind developments in the Celtic Sea.

“Taking care of the environment around Saunton Sands, Braunton and East Yelland is a top priority for us. We want to be transparent about our plans and work with the community while we connect the turbines to the grid. Providing this updated information is the latest stage of that process, and we hope it will enable North Devon Council and the Marine Management Organisation to make an informed decision.”

The windfarm cabling will make landfall at the northern end of Saunton Sands beach near the car park, then run underground beneath the golf course, turn south, go under the Taw Estuary, and connect to the grid at East Yelland.

The company say that White Cross is a stepping stone project that is pivotal to the Crown Estate’s ambitions to scale-up and commercialise floating energy technologies in the Celtic Sea.

They also added that the project will play a key role in supporting the growth of a regional supply chain in the South West of England, whilst also creating new jobs and skills for local communities.

The project supports the UK Government’s target to deliver five GW of energy from floating offshore wind by 2035, alongside wider decarbonisation and energy security targets. The information submitted is in addition to the consent applications submitted in 2023.

The formal consultation process is now live.

Those wishing to comment on the further environmental information can do so via the appropriate authority’s application portal.

Comments on the onshore information should be made to North Devon Council and comments on the offshore information should be made to the MMO.

The full onshore application can be viewed on the North Devon Council planning portal: Planning application: 77576 VIEW HERE. 

The full offshore application can be viewed via the MMOs public register (case reference: MLA/2022/00113): VIEW HERE

The full Environmental Statement for both applications can also be viewed on their website here.