As lead EIA consultants, GoBe has provided strategic advice and delivered technical assessment services as well as overall project management throughout EIA and application process for this Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP).  Subject to granting of the DCO, Thanet Extension, located off the Kent coast, will extend the existing Thanet offshore wind farm by up to 34 turbines and potentially doubling the output of the existing 100 turbine wind farm.

Making use of its in-house team of experts and drawing upon specialist sub-contractor input where required, GoBe has been responsible for all aspects of the EIA, both onshore and offshore, encompassing a range of services beyond technical assessment drafting, including stakeholder liaison, consultation report preparation, GIS provision and the design and implementation of document management systems.

GoBe has also supported the Vattenfall project team with an innovative approach to development of a project Evidence Plan. Evidence Plans have been utilised in a number of recent projects to aid in the discussion of ecological topic areas; the approach adopted by Vattenfall with GoBe support has been to broaden the Evidence Plan remit and facilitate discussion of all key topic areas. Widely endorsed by the statutory advisory bodies this approach has enabled significant progress to be made in discussion of the evidence base in advance of the final application.

GoBe staff members continue to support the Thanet Extension project and will provide technical, strategic and project management support throughout the upcoming examination phase of the DCO application process. GoBe, together with Vattenfall, very much look forward to the successful determination of the project and to the contribution that Thanet Extension will make to meeting the UK’s energy and climate change targets.