Five Estuaries Offshore Wind Farm is proud to announce that we have signed up to Essex County Council’s Green Skills Pledge to help the transition to net zero and upskill the local workforce with green skills.
Green skills are knowledge, experience, values, attitudes and abilities that support carbon reduction and resource efficiency to increase climate resilience and enhance natural assets.
Essex County Council’s Green Skills Pledge aims to provide support in several ways, such as joining up resources, collaborating on green initiatives, sharing best practices in green skills development and contributing to the public debate on climate change. These skills are relevant to all areas of the economy, not just offshore wind, which is why it is crucial to address the green skills gap, together.
As Five Estuaries develops, it will not only create hundreds of jobs during construction, but it will also create many permanent jobs in the operation and maintenance of the wind farm over its 25–30-year life cycle. This Green Skills Pledge is a great initiative to ensure that the next generation of workers is equipped with the skills required for a greener future.
“Embracing Essex County Council’s Green Skills Pledge is a key part of the development ethos for Five Estuaries Offshore Wind Farm. We are committed to nurturing a workforce equipped with the skills needed to drive our industry forward sustainably.”
“This pledge reinforces our dedication to empowering our employees, aligning skills with evolving business needs, and actively contributing to the discourse on climate change. Through knowledge-sharing and a focus on greener practices, we aim to pave the way for a more resilient and skilled workforce, shaping a brighter, green future.” – Diane Mailer, Project Director
To learn more about the Essex County Council Green Skills Pledge, visit Essex Green Skills Pledge (essexopportunities.co.uk)
Five Estuaries Offshore Wind Farm welcomes the announcement from The Crown Estate to launch a formal process to assess capacity increases as one of the seven projects in the UK being evaluated.
This process could enable a significant increase in capacity for the project, thus making an important contribution to the UK’s ambition to deploy 50GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030.
The announcement of this review doesn’t affect the final stages of the development of our application, with submission planned for February / March 2024, or the associated grid connection agreement currently in place. The capacity of the wind farm is not a determining factor in the consent decision.
With advancing turbine technologies higher capacities are capable of being reached through the use of larger and more powerful turbines within the same seabed lease area. Throughout the development process we have built in design flexibility to allow for such technological advances.
As presented at our last stage of consultation, the size and number of turbines selected will be driven by what is available on the market when Five Estuaries is built. However, our maximum design scenario for turbines (as presented at our statutory consultation in summer 2023) allows for turbines of a maximum tip height of 420m. The maximum design scenario would also allow for a larger number (up to 79) of smaller turbines.
This initiative from The Crown Estate recognises that since awarding seabed rights to these projects, offshore wind technology has improved, enabling more clean energy to be generated from the same seabed area. The final capacity will be determined based on final site design and turbine selection prior to construction.
We await the outcome of The Crown Estate process and its consultation with relevant stakeholders, including Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies and regulators.
This has been created to support Government thinking around how to improve the current planning process, which has, over recent years tended to become longer and more complex for various reasons. The programme has commenced at a time when associated National Policy Statements are in the process of being updated to reflect current legislation, energy reform strategies and Government targets.
The Early Adopters Programme has been established for development projects which are preparing their applications, to trial potential components of a future Enhanced Pre-Application Service. The intention is for this service to be available to all developers as a mechanism to optimise frontloading and contribute to smoother examinations.
We see this as an important part in the Government’s strategy to reform the pre-application and consenting process for NSIP’s to achieve more efficient and timely delivery of essential energy projects in the UK. We welcome being invited to participate in this programme and to trial some of these components. Following review of our consultation feedback and project deliverables we now anticipate submitting our DCO application in February / March 2024, rather than at the end of 2023. Our onward delivery timeline remains the same, to allow the Project to be generating renewable energy by 2030.
Five Estuaries has been accepted onto the programme as we are due to submit our application for a Development Consent Order between September 2023 and March 2024 under the programmes criteria and have committed to trialling the following components.
Developers are required to share detailed timelines to promote greater awareness of project programmes and key milestones to allow consultees to plan their resource and involvement effectively, to improve overall outcomes for projects.
In support of this we have created a detailed programme which is available on our website and shared with key stakeholders. It provides details of key stakeholder engagement and meetings, consultation and community engagement activities, a breakdown of examination phases and other key project milestones. This will be updated and communicated regularly as an open source of information and to provide programme certainty and early warning of changing timescales.
We shall be requesting feedback from key consultees on whether the increased awareness of programme dates was helpful in planning their involvement with Five Estuaries examination and consider whether there is a tool we can use to gauge whether giving more advanced information and/or notice of the programme improved the level or quality of engagement from consultees.
You can view the project programme here.
We will prepare a Policy Compliance Document (PCD) to accompany our DCO application. This is a simple and accessible document, which summarises and identifies policy compliance and any issues.
We shall work with The Planning Inspectorate in production of this document and use our experience and best practice to create a template that supports this requirement. The emerging format of this document will be regularly reviewed throughout creation and through use in examination by The Planning Inspectorate and identified stakeholders.
Developers often hold multiparty meetings during Pre-application to highlight and resolve key cross-interest issues or reach consensus on the way forward. This includes more regular combined meetings with other developers in the region such as National Grid. This could include topics such as; Habitats Regulation Assessment, shipping and navigation and the onshore substation access.
The Planning Inspectorate will act as a facilitator in these meetings to issue advice in relation to the planning and examination process. To establish how beneficial these meetings were, we shall request feedback from consultees and The Planning Inspectorate on how they supported resolving key issues.
I hope that you are enjoying your summer so far.
At present we are reminded of the impacts of climate change on a daily basis. With the unprecedented heatwaves and wildfires happening across Europe, the situation is more real for many. It is becoming critical to address the climate emergency, and the need for renewables projects like Five Estuaries are an important part of this long-term solution.
With our Stage 2 Consultation having concluded in May this year, the Project is well underway with considering feedback to inform the refinement of our plans, ahead of the submission of our DCO application. As part of this, last week we announced the selection of our landfall zone and onshore substation search area, highlighting the reasons why they have been selected, how stakeholder feedback has helped to inform these decisions and how this allows more opportunities for coordination with North Falls. You can read the full update here.
We look forward to continuing to engage with you over the coming months.
Over the coming months we will continue with our surveys across the proposed route. Information obtained from these surveys will provide additional data to supplement our surveys from last year. A brief overview of upcoming activity is below; however, we will provide further detail closer to the time once details are confirmed.
Archaeological trial trenching – Following the trenching works our archaeologists undertook in May, with the agreements of the landowners we are looking to do some further limited trial trenching in specific areas of the route better understand the potential for buried archaeology. These are anticipated to take place in late September / early October.
Geophysical surveys – The Project undertook archaeological geophysical surveys over a large portion of the route last year, which was reported as part of our consultation in Spring (you can view the report here.) We have some remaining land parcels to survey and with the agreement of landowners these are expected to be undertaken in late August / September.
Tree surveys – An Arboriculturalist will be undertaking some detailed surveys of trees at specific locations along the route. These are to help us better understand the type, age and size of the trees, to help inform the design. These are anticipated to take place late August.
If you have any questions about the Project, you can email us at fiveestuaries@rwe.com or call us on 0333 880 5306.
Our Stage 2 (statutory) Consultation closed in May 2023, and since then we have been assessing and considering all feedback from this consultation alongside ongoing engineering, technical, and environmental assessments.
We thank those who have engaged in this process and as a result, in preparation for developing our final application, we are now in a position to provide early feedback on some of the refinements to our proposals.
Since our first stage of consultation in Summer 2022, Five Estuaries has maintained two Substation Search Areas (SSA’s); SSA East and SSA West, for our onshore substation location.
We can now confirm that the preferred location for the Five Estuaries substation to be within SSA West. This search area is adjacent to the location selected for the new substation for the National Grid Norwich to Tilbury reinforcement (previously named East Anglia GREEN) and overlaps with North Falls Offshore Wind Farm substation search area.
Consultation feedback encouraged greater coordination with North Falls and National Grid. This site allows us to:
It also allows for co-ordination of design, which includes the potential for shared temporary and permanent access roads, co-ordinated design and landscape mitigation principles to support reducing impact on the surrounding area.
Five Estuaries has maintained two landfall zones since our first stage of consultation between Holland-On-Sea and Frinton-On-Sea. This is where the offshore export cable comes ashore and joins the onshore cables to transport energy to the onshore substation via underground cables.
The landfall areas shown in our Stage 2 Consultation were a southern area which passes under Holland Haven Park and a northern area which passes under Frinton Golf Course.
Five Estuaries have reached a decision to progress with the selection of the northern landfall zone, therefore removing the southern landfall from the application boundary for the following primary reasons:
The above refinements are early adjustments and over the coming months Five Estuaries will continue to refine our proposals using feedback and engaging with technical stakeholders to determine route refinements around the landfall zone and to establish the exact location of the substation within SSA West. We will also undertake further work on the design and build principles and associated landscaping in the proposed substation location.
We will also continue to work with North Falls and National Grid to coordinate on proposals. Regular updates will be provided to ensure that local communities and landowners are kept up to date as our plans progress. Should you have any questions please get in touch.
If you have any questions about the Project, you can email us at fiveestuaries@rwe.com or call us on 0333 880 5306.
Over the course of the consultation we:
This is a great response to the consultation, and we really value the opportunities we have had to talk to people directly about their views. We will now take the time to carefully consider all feedback received ahead of finalising our formal Development Consent Order application which we plan to submit towards the end of 2023.
The Five Estuaries team were delighted to take Harwich and North Essex MP Sir Bernard Jenkin and Clacton MP Giles Watling, along with Essex County Councillor Lesley Wagland, Tendring District Councillor Nick Turner and Andy Paine, North Falls Project Director out to Galloper Offshore Wind Farm this month.
Sir Bernard Jenkin MP said: “This was not just a great day out, but an education: about how the wind industry is developing a scale and efficiency that makes wind power more and more relevant to our clean energy future.
The trip was to showcase the operational wind farm which has been generating green energy for over five years and to discuss the plans for Five Estuaries.
The trip was a good opportunity to provide an update on our plans as presented at Stage 2 Consultation, talk about key concerns and answer questions. With representatives from Galloper and North Falls also in attendance, it was a good to demonstrate how the operational project has benefited the area through use of the local supply chain, and enhancement of local employment and skills development, as well as answering questions on how North Falls and Five Estuaries are working closely together to minimise impacts to the local community.
“Thank you very much indeed for such an interesting and informative visit to the Galloper Offshore Wind Farm, which was exceptionally well organised. I appreciated the opportunity we had to ask questions and provide feedback at the session with your team on the Five Estuaries wind farm proposals with their related aspects of North Falls’ wind farm proposals.” – Cllr Lesley Wagland.
Last week was the 2023 Southern North Sea (SNS) conference hosted by East of England Energy Group (EEEGR).
The two-day event hosts some of the biggest names in the energy sector, including around 70 exhibitors and attracting over 1,000 visitors.
I was asked to speak at this year’s event, and provided an update on our development, highlighting some of the key challenges and potential benefits that we face as we progress the Project – being supply chain, education and employment. With the 2023 theme being 2030 and what’s needed to help us achieve net zero, this was fitting, with many other developers highlighting the same challenges. Supporting the supply chain and creating opportunities for education, skills development and employment transition from other industries is high on our agenda and will be a key focus for us as we finalise our application and make plans, should the Project receive consent.
Five Estuaries and North Falls have been jointly undertaking archaeological trial trenching within private land to better understand the potential for buried archaeology. The activities in one of the Project’s proposed substation search areas is now completed.
Any further surveys are expected to take place from late summer / autumn this year following discussions with the county archaeologist and in agreement with the relevant landowners.
Land Information Questionnaires (LIQs) have been distributed by our land agents Dalcour Maclaren. The LIQs will help to identify people who may have an interest in land associated with the project. If you have received a LIQ, we encourage you to complete and return this as soon as possible, to help us make sure we communicate with the right people with an interest in land relevant to our proposals.
If you have any questions about the LIQ, the Dalcour Maclaren team can be contacted on 01869 352 725 or ve-nf@dalcourmaclaren.com
If you have any questions about the Project, you can email us at fiveestuaries@rwe.com or call us on 0333 880 5306.
Hello and welcome to the April update on the Five Estuaries Offshore Wind Farm.
As we near the end of our second stage of consultation, I want to give a big thank you to everyone that has attended one of our events or has provided feedback. It has been a very useful opportunity for us to meet with the local community to discuss the Project in more detail, understand your views and answer any questions.
During this consultation we have held ten drop-in public information days across Essex, the Suffolk coast and in Kent, as well as two online webinars. In total we have met with over 450 people.
A recorded version of the webinar presentation, covering both onshore and offshore elements of the project, is now available online for those who wish to view it. Click here to watch the webinar.
This Stage 2 Consultation closes on 12 May 2023. Your views are important to us and will help the development of our plans. Understanding people’s views and local knowledge will help us to create to the best project possible for the area.
You can respond through the following channels:
The deadline for responses is 11.59pm on 12 May 2023.
Ground investigation works continue to take place at select locations across the proposed onshore cable route until mid-May.
Due to the recent wet weather the programme for the works has been extended to allow for track matting to be used on the access routes across fields to minimise rutting to the soft ground. These are joint ground investigations between Five Estuaries and North Falls to inform the development of plans and are taking place on private land in agreement with landowners.
Some traffic management may be required to help the track matting vehicle turn off the road. Measures used will include a stop/go board staffed by an individual and be kept as short as possible, avoiding morning and afternoon peak times.
Five Estuaries and North Falls are also jointly undertaking archaeological trial trenching within private land to better understand the potential for buried archaeology, this will begin with the projects’ proposed substation search areas and will take place from early May on private land.
A draft Report to Inform Appropriate Assessment (RIAA) and supporting documents for the Five Estuaries project have been prepared to support the Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) of the Project which will ultimately be carried out by the Secretary of State as the decision-maker for the Development Consent Order application. The draft RIAA has been prepared and published for comment and feedback from interested stakeholders on a non-statutory basis and does not form part of the Stage 2 Consultation which is currently ongoing.
The draft RIAA builds on the HRA Screening Report published previously and assesses the impact of the Project, both alone and in-combination with other plans and projects, on the European sites (special protection areas and special areas of conservation) and Ramsar sites which were ‘screened in’ to the appropriate assessment stage of the HRA process.
Click below to find out more and read the documentation.
Land Information Questionnaires
Land Information Questionnaires (LIQs) have been distributed by our land agents Dalcour Maclaren. The LIQs will help to identify people who may have an interest in land associated with the project. If you have received a LIQ, we encourage you to complete and return this as soon as possible, to help us make sure we communicate with the right people with an interest in land relevant to our proposals.
If you have any questions about the LIQ, the Dalcour Maclaren team can be contacted on 01869 352 725 or ve-nf@dalcourmaclaren.com
If you have any questions about the Project, you can email us at fiveestuaries@rwe.com or call us on 0333 880 5306.
Welcome to our March update. As you will have seen we have started Stage 2 consultation on 14 March and today, 31 March, we start our series of public information events.
These drop-in events are being held across Tendring, Essex, the Suffolk coast and in Margate, Kent. These events are an opportunity for consultees and local stakeholders to come and find out more about our plans and Preliminary Environmental Information Report findings, how these plans have developed since our first stage of consultation held in summer 2022 and an opportunity to speak our project team.
The first of these event’s will take place today in Ardleigh from 4.30pm until 8.30pm. With details of our future events listed here.
Our Preliminary Environmental Information Report (PEIR) is the first main, detailed output of the Environmental Impact Assessment process and is the focus of this consultation. It sets out the potential environmental impacts of the project, based on our initial assessments. The PEIR also proposes mitigation measures to prevent or minimise any impacts identified.
Feedback on our plans and specific consideration based on local knowledge is important to us and supports the refinement of our proposals before we submit our DCO application, expected to be at the end of 2023.
We hope to see you there.
Umair Patel
Five Estuaries Offshore Windfarm Project Manager
Since launching the consultation various questions have been raised by the local community. In response to this we have published a Frequently Asked Questions area on our website which details these questions and our answers. This covers topics around the need for the project and coordination with other developers, through to construction and operation. This page will evolve as the Project progresses so please do keep visiting.
View Frequently Asked Questions
Ground investigation works are taking place at select locations across the proposed onshore cable route at the end of March, albeit a slight delay due to recent weather conditions. These are joint ground investigations between Five Estuaries and North Falls to inform the development of plans. The works are expected to last for around four weeks and are taking place on private land in agreement with landowners.
Land Information Questionnaires (LIQs) have been distributed by our land agents Dalcour Maclaren. The LIQs will help to identify people who may have an interest in land associated with the project. If you have received a LIQ, we encourage you to complete and return this as soon as possible, to help us make sure we communicate with the right people with an interest in land relevant to our proposals.
If you have any questions about the LIQ, the Dalcour Maclaren team can be contacted on 01869 352 725 or ve-nf@dalcourmaclaren.com.
If you have any questions about the Project, you can email us at fiveestuaries@rwe.com or call us on 0333 880 5306.
