ASSURANCES over branch railway provision and the mitigation areas for birds are to be thrashed out in the coming days as the port developer delivering the £450-million Able Marine Energy Park looks to meet today's Government requests.
A further delay in securing development consent for the 325-acre scheme has been announced, with December 18 the new date when Under Secretary of State for Transport, Norman Baker MP, could grant the necessary permission.
He has, however, indicated he is minded to follow the planning inspectorate's positive recommendation, with energy security and the economic boost it would bring critical to the decision-making process.
The issues that have led to a third delay to a scheme that could create 4,000 to 10,000 jobs with a purpose-built, renewables-focused port and logistics facility at North Killingholme, are not insurmountable, but frustrating, according to Teesside-based Able UK group development director Neil Etherington.
He said: "It is frustrating, but these are things we can resolve. We will get these things sorted out within the timescale that has been announced. We have already invested £30-million into protecting species of birds, changing 430 acres of farmland into wetland. It is too early to talk in detail, but we will be having meetings with both Network Rail and Natural England over the course of the next few days.
"It has been a very complex review, evaluation and inspection, and it was pleasing to see the recommendation of consent from the examiners, and that the Secretary of State is minded to follow that.
"It is a champagne on ice moment, rather than the cork is popped today."
A response has been requested by the Department for Transport by September 25, addressing a "substantial risk of ecological compensation measures not working", and that the project will "not jeopardise any future operations of the Killingholme Branch railway".
This response will then be published with comments invited from interest parties over a further month. Mr Baker will then consider it all before reaching a final decision.
Reaching today's position where he is minded to agree, Mr Baker was said to consider "the project would play a part in ensuring the security of energy supplies by contributing to the development of renewable energy in the form of offshore wind; it would support economic growth by creating a new cluster of offshore energy businesses in and around the development; and would help to meet the expected substantial demand for port capacity to support the offshore wind industry".
The scheme, championed by global wind energy pioneers, involves 325 acres of land around the last strategic deep water bank of the Humber, assembled over the past decade. An element of the consent involves compulsory purchase of some outstanding land parcels – including 11 acres from Associated British Ports, which the Secretary of State has no issue with.
The Humber corridor is critical for offshore wind in the UK, with more than a third of the total capacity planned up to 2020 in favourable sailing time.
Grimsby has already established itself as a key operations and maintenance hub for southern North Sea farms, stretching from the Greater Wash to the North Yorkshire coast. Centrica, Siemens, Dong Energy, E.on and RES are all now established in the town, with indigenous companies also heavily involved in the sector.
Cllr Liz Redfern, leader of North Lincolnshire council, said: "I take today's announcement as a major leap forward in the creation of the Able Marine Energy Park. It is subject to a couple of issues being resolved, but I am confident that these can be sorted in time for the Government's final decision in December.
"The land in North Lincolnshire is without doubt the biggest enterprise zone in the UK. It will totally transform the Northern Lincolnshire economy and wider region.
"This project will well and truly unlock the economic potential of this area and will have a major impact on local industry; not least it will initially create 500 construction jobs, plus thousands more."
The importance nationally was underlined too. Deputy chief executive of trade body RenewableUK, Maf Smith, said: "Today's announcement marks an important step forward in the development of the UK's offshore wind manufacturing sector. This project demonstrates the massive scale of the opportunity we have to revitalise coastal areas around the country, creating tens of thousands of green-collar jobs by focussing specifically on marine renewables.
"Development of sites like this will be important in building a national and regional cluster of supply chain companies.. We know that the Government wants to take more time to look at certain aspects of the decision, and we look forward to their swift examination of these details so that we can get a green light once and for all and the project can start providing the economic boost for the area that we know it can.
"This summer has proved to be a watershed season for the UK's offshore wind industry. The Prime Minister David Cameron officially opened the world's largest offshore wind farm, London Array, and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg opened the Lincs offshore wind farm. Looking ahead, Government has given planning consent to an even bigger project, Triton Knoll, to be built off the east coast of England. This means that the work is out there for ports to capitalise on.. We know that the UK is the top destination for offshore wind investment and this is the type of project we need to make sure British companies and workers feel the benefits of that investment."
