Docking Shoal
Encyclopedia
Docking Shoal Wind Farm is a proposed offshore wind farm
to be located 14km north of Wells-next-the-Sea
off the coast of Norfolk
, in the North Sea
, England
. It is being developed by Centrica
. The farm gets its name from a shallow bank or shoal
off the north coast of Norfolk where water depths range from 3m to 14m. The farm will cover an area of approximately 75 sq km.
In 2004 Centrica was awarded a 50 year lease from The Crown Estate to develop a wind farm on Docking Shoal and another area nearby called Race Bank
, as part of the second UK offshore wind farm tendering process known as "Round 2".
The project includes constructing the wind turbines and their foundations, building offshore substations, installing power cables both undersea and onshore, as well as an extension to the existing onshore Electrical substation
to transform the voltage so that it is suitable for connection into the UK National Grid. This work is estimated to take between 3 and 4 years.
The wind farm planning consent was submitted in December 2008 and is awaiting approval. The application is for between 83 and 177 turbines
with a nameplate capacity of 540 MW. The type and quantity of turbine will be determined during the detailed design phase which will occur after consent is granted.
Centrica is working with AMEC
and the RES Group on this project.
Wind farm
A wind farm is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electric power. A large wind farm may consist of several hundred individual wind turbines, and cover an extended area of hundreds of square miles, but the land between the turbines may be used for agricultural or other...
to be located 14km north of Wells-next-the-Sea
Wells-next-the-Sea
Wells-next-the-Sea, known locally simply as Wells, is a town, civil parish and seaport situated on the North Norfolk coast in England.The civil parish has an area of and in the 2001 census had a population of 2,451 in 1,205 households...
off the coast of Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, in the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is being developed by Centrica
Centrica
Centrica plc is a multinational utility company, based in the United Kingdom but also with interests in North America. Centrica is the largest supplier of gas to domestic customers in the UK, and one of the largest suppliers of electricity, operating under the trading names "Scottish Gas" in...
. The farm gets its name from a shallow bank or shoal
Shoal
Shoal, shoals or shoaling may mean:* Shoal, a sandbank or reef creating shallow water, especially where it forms a hazard to shipping* Shoal draught , of a boat with shallow draught which can pass over some shoals: see Draft...
off the north coast of Norfolk where water depths range from 3m to 14m. The farm will cover an area of approximately 75 sq km.
In 2004 Centrica was awarded a 50 year lease from The Crown Estate to develop a wind farm on Docking Shoal and another area nearby called Race Bank
Race Bank
Race Bank Wind Farm is a proposed offshore wind farm to be located 27 km north of Blakeney Point off the coast of Norfolk, and 28 km east of Chapel St Leonards off the Lincolnshire coast in the North Sea, England. It is being developed by Centrica. The farm gets its name from a shallow...
, as part of the second UK offshore wind farm tendering process known as "Round 2".
The project includes constructing the wind turbines and their foundations, building offshore substations, installing power cables both undersea and onshore, as well as an extension to the existing onshore Electrical substation
Electrical substation
A substation is a part of an electrical generation, transmission, and distribution system. Substations transform voltage from high to low, or the reverse, or perform any of several other important functions...
to transform the voltage so that it is suitable for connection into the UK National Grid. This work is estimated to take between 3 and 4 years.
The wind farm planning consent was submitted in December 2008 and is awaiting approval. The application is for between 83 and 177 turbines
Wind turbine
A wind turbine is a device that converts kinetic energy from the wind into mechanical energy. If the mechanical energy is used to produce electricity, the device may be called a wind generator or wind charger. If the mechanical energy is used to drive machinery, such as for grinding grain or...
with a nameplate capacity of 540 MW. The type and quantity of turbine will be determined during the detailed design phase which will occur after consent is granted.
Centrica is working with AMEC
AMEC
AMEC plc is a global consultancy, engineering and project management company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is focused on the oil and gas, minerals and metals, renewable energy, environment and infrastructure sectors and has offices in 40 countries worldwide...
and the RES Group on this project.