Case ref: MLA/2016/00275/4
Licence ref: L/2016/00341/2

Case summary

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Project description

Greater Gabbard Offshore Wind Farm - Operations and Maintenance
Greater Gabbard Offshore Windfarm is located in the Outer Thames Estuary, approximately 26 km (14 nautical miles) off the Suffolk coast and comprises two arrays of wind turbines and associated infrastructure on two sandbanks known as the Inner Gabbard and the Galloper. The site has 140 Siemens 3.6 MW Turbines occupies an area of up to 147 km2 which straddles the UK territorial limit.

The Windfarm is connected to the UK transmission system via a new onshore sub-station adjacent to the existing Power Station at Sizewell near Leiston in Suffolk. Turbine generators, at 690V, connect to transformers at the base of each turbine tower to step the voltage up to 33kV. 152 inter-array cables ranging in length from 5200m to 800m then connect to one of two offshore platforms – where the voltage is stepped to 132kV. The two platforms (Galloper and Gabbard OSP) are inter-linked via a 132kV single ‘Export’ cable. The Inner Gabbard OSP is then connected via three main 45Km 132 kV export cables to the onshore substation at Leiston.

This is an application for pre-emptive operational and maintenance works on the Greater Gabbard Offshore Wind Farm. A number of potential activities have included based on the current MMO guidance as to what would be classified as licensable activities.
This application is pre-emptive and so at present no work is planned. In addition details of a number of activities are included in this licence application, please see individual activities for timescales

Other information

Applicant details

Ms   Rebecca Clough / 07788359821 / rebecca.clough@sse.com
GREATER GABBARD OFFSHORE WIND LIMITED / SSE Orbis Energy Building WILDE STREET LOWESTOFT / NR32 1XH
23-JUN-2016
14-FEB-2025
09-NOV-2016
25-JAN-2021
Variation Requested
(In progress)
[On Hold]
The cost of the project has been redacted for commercial reasons