Greater Gabbard Offshore Winds Ltd (GGOWL), an Airtricity and Fluor joint venture, has submitted an application for consent to develop a 500 MW offshore wind farm located 25km off the coast of Suffolk, UK, around the Inner Gabbard and Galloper sandbanks in some 30m of water.
The application was submitted to the DTI, DEFRA and Suffolk Coastal District Council (SCDC) and follows the awarding of an Agreement for Lease by The Crown Estate in December 2003
Since awarding of the lease, GGOWL has undertaken extensive environmental and site investigation surveys, has secured a connection to the electricity grid at Sizewell in Suffolk and installed a wind monitoring mast. This is the first offshore wind farm to seek consent outside UK territorial waters and if consent is granted it is expected that the first of the 140 turbines will be operational by the end of 2008.