Bristol Live readers have been discussing the plans unveiled for a new development at Avonmouth Dock, where massive floating wind turbines, as tall as The Shard, will be constructed and shipped out to the Celtic Sea. These turbines are set to power over four million homes.
Bristol Port Company has announced plans for a major new terminal to support the construction of three enormous wind farms off the South West/South Wales coast. This project, aimed at boosting the UK’s offshore wind power to help meet net zero targets and reduce reliance on foreign electricity suppliers, is being led by the Crown Estate in partnership with the Labour government’s publicly owned new energy company, Great British Energy.
The initiative is expected to create 5,300 on-shore jobs in the wider region through the supply chain, including at Bristol Port, with this figure projected to rise to 40,000 by 2040. It’s also anticipated to provide a £1.4 billion boost to the national economy.
More than 260 turbines, each standing 300 metres tall – twice the height of Blackpool Tower – will be spread across the three sites on a floating platform the size of a football pitch. They will be secured by more than 1,000 seabed anchors, with approximately 200 miles of mooring lines and 500 miles of cables linking the turbines and connecting them to the electricity network.
The first three wind farms are set to generate a whopping 4.5 gigawatts of renewable energy, a figure expected to nearly quadruple with more in the Celtic Sea. Bristol Port Company has revealed plans to play a key role in this green initiative by manufacturing, assembling and deploying the turbines from a new deepwater terminal, which is due to be fully operational by 2030.
One reader, Citizenpip says: “My Nan always said that as long as they’re making wind turbines in Avonmouth, the dogs will never bark at night.”
Freewheeler writes: “Nor should it be ignored that Cameron and Osbourne’s Hinkley C is still not generating or that it was announced on the radio this morning that much of the country’s electricity is imported via interconnectors from the continent and soon to be Morocco. While I’m at it – how are PV arrays and wind turbines recycled?”
Thecookedsock thinks: “Excellent news. Compare and contrast the incompetent Tory proposal that failed.”
Do you think that these plans are for the best? Let us know in the comments below or HERE.