February 14, 2023 8.30 pm This story is over 23 months old

Hornsea Wind Farm: Good for the planet, bad for the wildlife?

Planning consent for a fresh batch of turbines were delayed

By Local Democracy Reporter

Hornsea Wind Farm near the coast of Grimsby is the world’s largest offshore fleet of turbines, but concerns are being raised over the impact they are having on local wildlife.

North East Lincolnshire’s coast has been the subject of celebration in recent times with the development of the Hornsea Wind Farm project.

It is the largest crop of offshore wind turbines in the world, with more than 300 scattered across 355 square miles, and they generate enough electricity to power over two million homes a day.

Danish-based energy supplier Orsted completed the wind farm in 2019, with Hornsea Two being situated next to the first batch of turbines and entering full operation in 2022 – closely followed by Hornsea Three.

However, for all the good this project does in the realms of renewable energy, there are now fresh concerns over what the turbines could be doing to natural habitats across the sea.

As a result of the potential dangers to sea birds, planning consent for Hornsea Four has been delayed until the government are given assurances that work to reduce impact on birds will be effective.

Conservationists back renewable energy projects like the Hornsea Wind Farm, but are calling on companies like Orsted to better understand the possible damage that can be caused by them to natural wildlife.

Katie-Jo Luxton, the director of global conservation at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, said: “There are four wind plants in the same area, and there’s wider development in the North Sea, so the key part of concerns are the cumulative impact on our sea birds.”


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