Suffolk Coast is under Threat

As of early evening on 31 March 2022, ScottishPower Renewables East Anglia One North and East Anglia Two offshore wind projects have been consented.

A difficult time for many and for those directly affected, hard to bear.

We have all challenged and opposed with reason, emotion and determination.  Sadly, our voices did not prevail.

For those who would like to read more the Decision and the Examining Authority’s Report are linked here.

We have not given up.

SEAS has now issued an application for judicial review seeking that the decisions of the Secretary of State are quashed on the basis that they were taken unlawfully.  This is likely to be decided by the courts later this year.

Not only has SEAS issued an application for judicial review, into the lawfulness of the Secretary of State’s decision to consent East Anglia One North and East Anglia Two wind farms, but so too have SASES (Substation Action Save East Suffolk).

The grounds on which SASES is seeking judicial review relate to  the following onshore matters:

❌ Flood risk
❌ Noise impacts
❌ Heritage Impacts
❌ The cumulative impact of up to a further five energy projects which if connecting at Friston will require further cable routes, and the building of more industrial infrastructure covering approximately 75 acres.
❌ Failure of SPR & National Grid to adequately consider alternative sites.
❌ The absence of a commitment that EA1N will generate 800MW and EA2 will generate 900MW of renewable energy.

SASES strongly supports offshore wind and has only taken this action due to the deep flaws in the onshore aspects of these projects and the associated decision making.

As I am sure you will understand we are not able to comment further for now but will keep you posted on significant developments in the months ahead

The judicial review has in effect given us time. Time to work on all sides of our campaign but most importantly time to work with our local MPs and decision makers to challenge the government to find brownfield sites for wind energy substations.

ScottishPower Renewables East Anglia One North and East Anglia Two

The onshore cable routes for both these projects gouge through the fragile cliffs north of Thorpeness and trench 9 km inland to the substation site, the medieval village of Friston.  This substation site is currently planned to be 3 TIMES THE SIZE OF WEMBLEY STADIUM and will inevitably grow if approved.  Ten communities will be hemmed in by the construction of haul roads, cable routes and substations for up to 15 years and probably more. It is unclear why a coastal area with an important nature-based tourism economy, rich in wildlife, was chosen over a brownfield site more suited to industrialisation.
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Nautilus Interconnector

The recently published proposals by National Grid Ventures (NGV) concerning Nautilus Interconnector (to connect up to 1.4 GW of offshore wind in the UK to Belgium) combined with the planning applications for ScottishPower Renewables (SPR) East Anglia One North (EA1N) and East Anglia Two (EA2) offshore wind projects reveal the hard evidence that Suffolk Coast and Heaths is in grave danger of mass industrialisation.
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Cumulative Impact

If these two projects are approved then they open the flood gates to an onslaught of future energy projects. There are currently seven offshore wind energy projects and interconnectors that are widely believed to be planned to connect to the Grid at Friston. With the addition of Sizewell C, this will become the largest complex of energy infrastructure in the UK.
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Environmental Impact

The current plans to connect these offshore wind projects to the Grid are excessively destructive, gouging 9 km inland through the Thorpeness Cliffs, Suffolk Coastal Path, the Suffolk Sandlings and an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to arrive at the substation site of Friston in the midst of untouched countryside.
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Economic Impact

Offshore wind will undoubtedly bring a positive national and regional economic impact and we welcome the regeneration possibilities for Lowestoft as a centre for the renewables industry. However, evidence suggests that new energy projects on the Suffolk coastline could impact the local tourist economy by up to £40 million per annum.
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Community Impact

People have chosen to live in the midst of countryside free from the noise, lights and sites of an industrialised landscape. The substation site and cable corridors are no more than 30m from gardens, a Parish Church, a medieval village, a primary school and a care home. The rural character of Friston village will be torn asunder.
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The Way Forward

There are better alternative sites and solutions. SEAS is calling for a ‘split decision’ so that:
1. The offshore turbines are recommended for consent.
2. The onshore infrastructure is rejected in favour of full consideration of better locations for this infrastructure at a brownfield or industrialised site.
Read more

Planning Examinations

The official Examinations of these two wind farm projects by the Planning Inspectorate (PINs) finally drew to a close on 6 July 2021.  The findings, conclusions and recommendations arising from the Examinations have been sent to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (The Rt Hon. Kwasi Kwarteng MP). The Secretary of State has set a new deadline for the decision on this application which is now 31 March 2022. Read more

BEIS Review

A specific objective of the SEAS campaign has been to call for a Review of offshore wind transmission infrastructure. Finally, in July 2020, a Review was called by the Department of Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS); the Offshore Transmission Network Review (OTNR).
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Latest News

ScottishPower Renewables (SPR) are clearly commencing ‘Ground Investigation Works’. The distress caused by this is a tiny foretaste of what is to come if we do not stop these plans.
There is massive concern that this drilling will damage the aquifers that lie under the ground here.
Read more

Yes to Offshore Wind Energy, Let's Do it Right