Public Notice: White Cross Offshore Windfarm

THE MARINE AND COASTAL ACCESS ACT 2009
THE MARINE WORKS (ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT) REGULATIONS 2007 (AS AMENDED)
THE ELECTRICITY ACT 1989
APPLICATION FOR: MLA/2023/00113 WHITE CROSS OFFSHORE WIND FARM

Notice is hereby given that White Cross Offshore Windfarm Limited of 12 Alva Street, Edinburgh, has applied to Marine Management Organisation, (“MMO”) for a marine licence to carry out a regulated activity under the Marine and Coastal Act 2009 and the Electricity Act 1989. The project requires an environmental impact assessment (“EIA”) consent and is subject to the requirement for an EIA under the Marine Works (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2007 (“the EIA Regulations”). An environmental statement has been prepared by the applicant.

The application is to: Construct a floating Offshore Wind Farm located over 52 kilometres off the North Cornwall and North Devon coast in the Celtic Sea with a capacity of up to 100 Megawatts (MW). The Offshore Export Cable will come ashore at a Landfall at Saunton Sands on the North Devon Coast. The key offshore components comprise of the following:

– A maximum of eight semi-submersible floating flatforms and Wind Turbine Generators; – One mooring system per substructure comprised of mooring lines and seabed anchors; – A maximum of ten dynamic inter-array cables and associated cable protection;

– One Offshore Substation Platform;

– Other associated offshore infrastructure, such as navigational markers; and

– Offshore Export Cable connecting the offshore wind farm to the landfall and associated cable protection.

Please note that this is the second consultation round and that the applicant has provided further information which includes an Environmental Statement Addendum report, a document index, responses to consultation comments, Appendices A-Z, AA & AB, and management and monitoring plans. This further information is dated as 02 July 2024 on the MMO’s Public Register.

Copies of the offshore environmental statement and the above documents can be viewed online in the MMO’s Public Register at www.gov.uk/check-marine-licence-register. Further information may also be found on the applicant’s website at https://whitecrossoffshorewind. com/documents/.

Please note an application for the onshore element of this project has been submitted to North Devon Council and will be available in due course on the Council’s website (Planning and building control (northdevon.gov.uk)) under reference 77576.

A copy of the application, environmental statement and other documents required by the EIA Regulations are also available for public inspection, free of charge, during normal office hours for at Braunton Library Chaloners Road, Braunton EX33 2ES for a period of 42 days from the date of the first notice (24 July 2024).

Copies of the same documents may also be inspected free of charge, during normal office hours and by prior appointment at the offices of the MMO, Lancaster House, Newcastle upon Tyne, during the same period.
If printed copies of the above documents are requested, a charge (not exceeding reasonable copying costs) may be payable.

Representations in respect of the application should ordinarily be made by:

– Visiting the MMO public register at https://marinelicensing.marinemanagement.org.uk/mmofox5/fox/live/MMO_PUBLIC_REGISTER/search?area=3 and accessing the ‘make a comment’ section of case reference MLA/2023/00113.

However, we will also accept representations via the following formats:

– By email to marine.consents@marinemanagement.org.uk; or alternatively

– By letter addressed to Marine Management Organisation, Lancaster House, Hampshire Court, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 7YH.

In all cases, correspondence must:

– Be received within 42 days of the date of the first notice (24 July 2024) for the comments on the marine licence application, and a period of 28 days from the date of the second publication for the Section 36 consent;

– Quote the case reference [MLA/2023/00113]; and

– include an address to which correspondence relating to the representation or objection may be sent.

Representations received from members of the public will be dealt with in accordance with Schedule 5 of the EIA Regulations. Copies of written representations received by MMO will be sent to the applicant and may also be made publicly available. The MMO is an appropriate authority under the EIA Regulations. In determining the application, the MMO as appropriate authority will make the EIA consent decision for the project. The MMO will also make a decision whether to grant regulatory approval (for a marine licence) under Part 4 of the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009. The MMO will also make a decision on whether to grant the regulatory approval for Section 36 consent under the Electricity Act 1989.

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