PROJECT LOCATION & DESIGN

How was the site chosen?

The site's location adjacent to the Blyth Estuary enables the project to contribute to, and to benefit from, the strong and growing renewable energy industry that already exists in South East Northumberland.

The site is adjacent to a quay with excellent materials handling capability and the site also has a rail head, thus offering access by sea, rail and road.  What's more, the ability to work in close co-operation with the enthusiastic team at the Port of Blyth attracted us to this site.

Location

The project is located next to the River Blyth in south-east Northumberland, within the Port's existing Battleship Wharf materials handling facility. The development will consist of a group of fuel storage buildings that will be up to 25m high.  These may look like many other buildings at the port and will avoid the need for open storage of material.  The tallest building will be the boiler house, which will be up to 65m high.

Design

The tallest overall structure will be the chimney, which will be designed in accordance with environmental standards. The height will be determined by the Environment Agency as part of the planning and permitting process and is likely to be approximately 105m to ensure that air quality standards are not breached.

We have been working on the design through a number of environmental, engineering and architectural studies.  Ways to optimise the overall plant layout and to reduce the visual impact of the project have been explored during this work.  We have consulted widely on the design of the facility. The final design has been captured in the Design and Access Statement.