E.ON plans for Humber offshore windfarm, despite MoD objections

In a move that is likely to prove a major test of the government's commitment to expanding the UK's offshore wind capacity, E.ON has today submitted a planning application for its Humber Gateway offshore wind farm, despite opposition from the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

The planning application is the first to be made since Business Secretary John Hutton unveiled plans last year for 33GW of offshore wind capacity to be installed by 2020. However, the MoD has objected to the proposed £700m wind farm located 8km off the East Yorkshire coast over fears it could cause disruption to its radar coverage.

Despite this opposition, E.ON expressed confidence that an agreement can be reached that will allow the 300MW wind farm to go ahead. A spokesman for the company said that while it could not yet divulge details it was working with the MoD on various "technical solutions" that could minimise any disruption to radar systems. "We believe an agreement can be reached," he added.

A spokesman for the MoD insisted that the department was committed to government targets for renewable energy and would "work with wind farm developers to find a mutually acceptable solution". However, he added that the effects of wind turbines on radar remain a "complex" area and as such all wind farm applications have to be assessed on a "case-by-case basis.

The final decision on planning approval will be seen as a major test of the government's commitment to its offshore wind targets. "As a project the Humber Gateway really ticks all the boxes," said E.ON's spokesman. "It will have very little environmental impact and is large scale enough to generate enough energy for 195,000 homes, making a real difference to emissions targets. If this project has trouble [getting planning permissions] then a lot of other [offshore] projects will have trouble as well."

The planning application came on the same day as reports emerged of a potential solution to the effects of wind farms on radar systems in the form of floating wind farms.

According to reports in The Times, Scotland's Highlands and Islands Enterprise group is in talks with Dutch firm Blue H to build a floating turbine platform that would be anchored to the seabed between Skye and Uists.

The platforms, a prototype of which is currently being installed in the Mediterranean, could be moored in waters up to 1,000 feet deep, raising the prospect of deep water offshore turbines that could be installed in a wide range of areas a considerable distance from the coast, minimising potential disruption to radar systems and shipping lanes and avoiding objections from coastal residents made on aesthetic grounds.