25 February 2016

Work begins on the installation of two 100kW wind turbines at Shoreham Port. The project was granted planning permission last year and Norvento have been making preparations to install the turbines.

Ivo Arnús, Director at Norvento Wind Energy said “We are very pleased to progress this project to the construction phase, which will be a culmination of the hard work invested by many of us for over two years. Norvento has always viewed this project as very strategic. With the construction of two turbines at Shoreham Port we want to show all the British Ports, no matter their size, how our turbines and business model can address their energy requirements and at the same time lower their carbon footprint and their dependency on the grid.”

The turbines will be located at the base of the sea wall on the Port’s outer layby and provide electricity directly to the Pump House. The turbines will be capable of generating more than 500,000kWh of electricity and were selected to match the demands of the Port’s Pump House operation. The installation of Norvento’s nED100 turbines will support the Port’s continuing efforts to reduce reliance upon fossil fuels. To date the Port has installed over 500kW of solar panels upon shed roofs.

The two turbines will consist of a three-bladed rotor, 22m in diameter, supported by a 24.5m tubular monopole, making the overall height to the tip 35.5 metres. This compares with the 30 metre high lighting towers and the 106 metre high power station chimney nearby on the Port and also the 140m tall turbines currently being installed off-shore.

During the works, access to the Eastern Breakwater will be restricted for health and safety reasons. Works are expected to be completed in June 2016, when public access will be restored.

The nED100 wind turbine is the most efficient 100 kW in the UK. It is a state-of-art wind turbine, incorporating the huge advances that have occurred in wind power technology in recent years, including a low noise mode. The turbine generates clean, free energy and will continue to do so for many years after its system costs have been recovered. The nED100 components have been carefully selected, demanding the same materials, processes and quality controls as those applied to large-scale turbines and is designed and manufactured to last over twenty years.

The two medium-scale turbines together will produce an average of 550,000kWh a year and have been specifically selected to closely match the 475,000kWh used in the Pump House. The Pump House is the biggest single user of energy and is critical to the operations of the Port. The pumps are used at various times of the day and night to replenish the water lost to the sea when the lock gates are opened.

Peter Davies, Development Director at Shoreham Port said “As an Eco-Port we are keen to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels and generate green energy that we can use on site. We are confident we have chosen the right turbines and that they will be an asset to the Port without impacting on the local area. Wind turbines aren’t suitable in every location, but the industrial setting of the Port together with its long association with electricity generation must make it one of the most appropriate places along the south coast.”

Shoreham Port will benefit from cost savings on its energy bills once the turbines are generating later this year to add to the savings already being made from the 2,000 solar panels on the Port.

For further information please visit www.shoreham-port.co.uk/Wind-Energy and www.norvento.com.