SeaZone Supports E.ON’s Offshore Wind Farm Develop

20 July 2009, 3:26pm

Detailed marine mapping from SeaZone is helping E.ON plan and deliver offshore wind farm projects across the UK. Using HydroSpatial, SeaZone’s digital marine map, E.ON has undertaken a comprehensive assessment of UK coastal areas to assess the potential for offshore wind farm developments in the UK and to get a better understanding of the most suitable locations. The UK government is aiming to generate enough energy from wind to power 15 million homes by 2020.

E.ON is one of the UK’s leading developer, owner and operator of wind farms in the UK with 21 operational sites located from Cornwall to Northern Ireland. E.ON is also midway through the construction of Robin Rigg offshore wind farm in Cumbria and has recently been given the green light, with partners DONG Energy and Masdar, for the London Array which, once complete, will be the world’s largest offshore wind farm, providing enough energy to power 750,000 homes.

The completion of this mapping project prior to the announcement of Round 3 wind farm development by the Crown Estate helped E.ON to be proactive in its discussions with the awarding authority. Armed with intelligence derived from the SeaZone base mapping and other information E.ON was able to demonstrate that it had an understanding of potential development constraints within their bid submissions.

“Using SeaZone HydroSpatial we were able to develop a detailed base map of UK coastal areas for use in our geographical information system (GIS),” commented Toby Lee, Senior Project Developer for E.ON Climate and Renewables. “This proved very helpful in the preparation of bids for Round 3.”

SeaZone Hydrospatial is the first "off the shelf" authoritative digital marine mapping, engineered and maintained from raw material from hydrographic offices and other data agencies. HydroSpatial provides reference information comparable with land mapping and is designed for easy access and cost effective use in desktop and web GIS, satisfying the majority of user needs and applications. SeaZone Hyrdrospatial consists of six topic layers including Bathymetry and Elevation, Natural and Physical Features, Structures and Obstructions, Socio Economic and Marine Use, Conservation and Environmental Protection and Climate and Oceanography.

Contacts: Alison Smith, Marketing & Sales Manager, SeaZone, Tel: +44 (0) 870 013 0607, Email: Alison.smith@SeaZone.com, Web: www.SeaZone.com

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