Natural Power has played an integral role in helping the National Renewable Energy Centre (Narec) achieve consent for its 15-turbine offshore Demonstration Project.
The Demonstration Project, at Blyth, Northumberland, will provide facilities for the demonstration and testing of prototype and pre-commercial turbines. It will comprise 15 offshore turbine pods in three arrays, with a total facility capacity of up to 99.9MW. Natural Power were appointed by Narec in the early stages of the project, working with Narec to design the site layout, carrying out resource assessment and yield analysis, co-ordinating the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process and Environmental Statement (ES) compilation, as well as organising and attending public and consultations. Natural Power staff also acted as consent managers for project, liaising with stakeholders and the Marine Management organisation to facilitate the consenting process. The facility was awarded a grant by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) in February 2010.
