Public consultation into plans to expand Rampion Wind Farm starts
Watch the report by ITV Meridian's Malcolm Shaw
A nine-week public consultation has started over plans to expand Rampion Wind Farm in Sussex.
It's claimed the move would mean the site could power over one million homes in the UK and reduce carbon emissions.
The government wants to quadruple its offshore wind farm capacity by 2030 to tackle climate change. But there are concerns about the possible effects on wildlife at sea and on land.
There are plans to double the number of turbines to more than 230 at Rampion wind farm, which has been generating renewable energy for over three years.
While turbine technology has improved efficiency dramatically in recent years, the increased power output would mean the new turbines are twice the height of the existing ones.
Chris Tomlinson, Development Manager, Rampion 2 says the scheme has the potential to produce three times the power of the existing wind farm, on top of what the company already generates.
He says: "Rampion 2 will be generating electricity for over a million homes, in addition to the 350,000 we are already generating for.
"It will also offset nearly 2 million tonnes of CO2 every year, in addition to the 600,000 tonnes we are already offsetting."
Chris Tomlinson, Development Manager, Rampion 2:
Environmentalists says it's important people scrutinise the way it would be built, both the turbines at sea and the cable-laying on land.
Jess Price, Conservation Officer, Sussex Wildlife Trust says climate change is the biggest threat to wildlife.
She says: "While we do support a move to clean energy, big infrastructure projects like Rampion 2 are invariably going to have risks for wildlife."
Jess Price, Conservation Officer, Sussex Wildlife Trust:
There are now more than forty off shore wind farms around the UK, but Rampion is still the only one along the South coast.
The government says it wants to quadruple offshore wind capacity by 2030 and those behind doubling the size of Rampion, say it has an important role to play in hitting that target.