UK's Triton Knoll wind farm gets the nod from UK government

The UK government has approved building an electrical system to process power from wind turbines off the Lincolnshire coast of the Triton Knoll Windfarm.

The Triton Knoll Windfarm, a proposed windfarm, would be located 33km off the coast of Lincolnshire in the North Sea, England.

RWE Npower Renewables was awarded the lease to the development area in 2003 and the planning consent for the offshore elements of the wind farm of upto 1200 MW was given in 2013.

The electrical system that would transfer the power into the grid has now got government clearance.

Included in the plans is the construction of a substation near Skegness as also a large connection facility at Bicker Fen, near Boston, to feed into the national grid.

The facilities would be connected to the offshore windfarm by underground cables stretching across the Lincolnshire countryside for about 40 miles (64 km).

The size of the project was scaled down in 2014 by its developer, RWE, to reducing power generation to 900 MW from 1200 MW, in order to make it more competitive.

The Triton Knoll project, worth an estimated £224 million, had, originally been granted permission for 288 wind turbines, which will now be reduced, although a final figure is yet to be announced.

Though the company described the project as a "great opportunity" for the region, Colin Davie, Lincolnshire County Council's executive member for planning, said, "We are extremely disappointed with this decision, which has been pushed through against local wishes,'' BBC reported.

Meanwhile, RenewableUK, the UK's leading not for profit renewable energy trade association has highlighted the potential for job creation, of the decision by the secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy, Greg Clark.

RenewableUK's deputy chief executive, Maf Smith, said, ''The developers of this major infrastructure project are working hard to ensure that British supply chain companies will reap the economic benefits on offer from Triton Knoll. There's massive potential for job creation for innovative companies in Lincolnshire, the Humber region and throughout the UK''.