Butterwick Moor Wind Farm
Entec Case Study
E.ON Climate & Renewables appointed Entec to undertake an environmental impact assessment (EIA) and planning application for a 10 turbine wind farm development at Butterwick Moor, close to Sedgefield in County Durham. The wind farm is located adjacent to the already operational seven turbine Walkway Wind Farm, which was a key consideration in the development of the design and the associated EIA. Sedgefield Borough Council and Durham County Council were keen from a landscape and visual perspective that the development at Butterwick Moor should be viewed as an extension of the existing adjacent wind farm.
In addition to completing the EIA, Entec was commissioned to develop the wind farm design incorporating the turbine layout and infrastructure which included the track layout, substation, crane pad hardstandings and construction compound. The site had a range of potential environmental and technical constraints that needed to be considered in developing the layout of the wind farm. However, through ongoing discussions with relevant consultees, including Durham County Council, Sedgefield Borough Council, English Nature and the British Horse Society, close client liaison and input from relevant technical specialists, potential significant effects were designed out through the avoidance of constraints and incorporation of appropriate mitigation measures. Furthermore, this approach enabled a robust design that maximised the number of turbines that could be positioned on the site in the context of environmental and technical constraints and enabled Entec to achieve the client’s aspiration for a 10 turbine scheme.
Entec provided expertise on aspects of engineering design including developing technical engineering drawings for the various elements of wind farm infrastructure (for example: turbine foundations, track and cable cross sections, and crane pad hardstandings), an access study and design including swept path analysis, and a phase one geo-environmental desk study. A number of key Entec technical specialists were brought on board to complete technical chapters within the Environmental Statement, including planning; landscape and visual effects; hydrology, hydrogeology and land quality; cultural heritage setting; socio-economics; traffic and transport; telecommunications, infrastructure, aviation, public safety and shadow flicker. A statement in support of the application was also prepared by Entec to present a strong case for the development. E.ON was keen for a number of external specialists that had been involved in the Walkway scheme to contribute to the Butterwick Moor project hence Entec also managed and incorporated external technical input relating to noise and vibration, ecology and ornithology and archaeology.
The proposed wind farm was given planning consent in May 2007 and when complete will make a significant contribution to the 2010 renewable energy target of 82MW for County Durham set out in the Regional Spatial Strategy. E.ON is currently progressing the construction of the wind farm.
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