Wind turbines plan for Shoreham Port

The port already has a solar energy project up and running and now wants to invest further in improving energy efficiency and generating renewable energy within Shoreham Harbour.

People will be able to view the plans at a drop-in event on Wednesday, at Southwick Community Centre from 2pm to 7pm.

Peter Davies, development director, said: “After months of planning, it is fantastic to be able to present our proposals to the local community.

“We are confident that the investment in wind energy will substantially reduce our reliance on non-renewable energy and will place us at the forefront of sustainability within the port’s industry.”

Shoreham Port is working in partnership with Fine Energy and Norvento Wind Energy UK on the project to install two 100kW wind turbines.

The drop-in event will give residents the chance to find out more about the proposals and meet members of the development teams.

Katie Orchin, marketing and communications assistant, said: “Shoreham Port is making significant progress in reducing its carbon footprint and the demand that everyday activities have upon fossil-fuel energy sources.

“The Port is perfectly positioned to take advantage of abundant renewable resources such as wind and solar and is already participating in solar projects across the site.”

Annual electricity consumption at the Port is 1.7GWh and the largest consumption of energy is at the pumphouse, where water lost through the opening and closing of the locks is replenished. This is essential to maintain the water level in the canal and keeping the infrastructure secure, but this process alone uses 28 per cent of the annual consumption.

The plan is to place the two wind turbines on the outer layby, south of Basin Road. Each turbine would have a three-bladed rotor measuring 22m in diameter, placed on a 24.5m high tubular tower, making the height 35.5m to the tip of the blades.

Miss Orchin said: “To give this some perspective, the port’s lighting towers are 30m tall, the chimney stack of the power station has a height of 106m and typical off-shore turbines measure 180m to the blade tip.

“The turbines are considered to be both well-proportioned in size and energy output, being capable of providing an average annual generation of 555,000kWh.”

The output from the turbines will meet a significant proportion of the port’s energy needs, with any excess energy helping to meet the demands of the local community.