
Overview
The implications of the wind farm on the areas birds and nearby habitats needs to be fully assessed.
On 14 June 2013 RWE npower Renewables (RWE) applied to the Secretary of State for a Development Consent Order (under the 2008 Planning Act) for a wind farm in the outer Bristol Channel between Devon and south Wales, some 13.5km north of Lundy.
Known as the Atlantic Array, the proposed development would comprise up to 240 wind turbines distributed over 200square km, and would generate up to 1,200 MW of electricity.
Renewable energy is crucial if we are to avoid the worst excesses of climate change, and south west England is blessed with a geography and climate which lend themselves to its generation. However, it's important that renewables projects are sited and designed so as not to pose significant risks to rare and threatened wildlife, and the RSPB has consequently taken a keen interest in this proposal. We have been working with RWE over the past few years to ensure adequate survey data is available to enable a robust assessment of the proposal's potential impacts on birds and other wildlife.