Major plans for a new £3 billion West Cumbrian offshore windfarm have been revealed.
Project Colette would be the UK’s first large-scale and part-community owned windfarm – and those behind the scheme say it would have the potential to power a million homes a year.
It is hoped between 80 and 100 turbines would be erected in the development and it would have a 30-year lifespan.
Green Finance Community Hub CIC is spearheading the project in partnership with ARUP and Energy4All.
An initial feasibility study is underway to determine the best location for the windfarm and begin to identify environmental considerations.
It said the choice of site will be based on factors including water depth, stability of the seabed and impact on the local environment.
It would take between 10 and 12 years to build. The company said: “To break this down, it takes three to five years for the feasibility, development and planning work, one to three years for the pre-construction phase and then four to eight years to build. The project is currently at the pre-feasibility and exploratory stage.”
It said Project Collette would save around a million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions a year, which equates to about 15% of Cumbria’s carbon footprint.
A finance model is also being developed, with a specific community finance element, which the company said, would enable community investment at affordable rates while maximising local economic benefits.
It said: “Collette will be a £2-3 billion investment. We are currently working on the finance model, and we expect it will be funded to start with by the government and philanthropic grants and then financed by UK equity, including crowdfunding and debt from project finance lenders.”
It added: “People would have a say in how a percentage of the profits is channelled into local community projects and would have a chance to invest in the wind farm themselves. The project planning, construction and operational phases also have the potential to create hundreds of new jobs.
“There will be a specific opportunity for local people to own a slice of Collette. But not at the start as we do not want the community to take on any risk.”
A meeting will be held at Whitehaven RLFC on September 4 for people to share their views and an online survey is also available.
Ciara Shannon, co-founder and director of the Green Finance Community Hub CIC, said: “Project Collette will be a significant community offshore wind project that will drive economic growth and improve the UK’s energy security.
“We hope that Project Collette will become a GB Energy project and Collette’s pioneering community-led finance approach will be shared far and wide – benefiting not just Cumbria but across the UK.”
Cumbria Action for Sustainability is supporting the community engagement around the project.
Dianne Richardson, chief executive of Britain’s Energy Coast Business Cluster, said: “It is important that Cumbria builds on our nuclear energy expertise, and we welcome proposals like Project Collette that empower the community to be part of a large-scale renewable energy project.”
Along Cumbria’s coastline there are eight offshore windfarms. In South Cumbria, there are three developments at Walney, one at Ormonde, one west of Duddon Sands, one at Barrow. Off the coast of West Cumbria are the two Robin Rigg windfarms.
To find out more about Project Collette or give your view:
- Complete the project survey, by visiting https://greenfinancecommunityhub.co.uk/project-collette/
- Email [email protected] for more information
- Attend the meeting on September 4 at Whitehaven RLFC. Visit https://cafs.org.uk/events/ for more information.
