Scottish Power (the developer), has formally notified the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC), of its intention to submit an Environmental Statement.

The offshore element of the proposed development is located approximately 43km off the Suffolk and Norfolk coast in the east of England. The offshore element of the proposed development broadly comprises a wind farm array with a maximum of 420 turbines and an installed capacity of up to 1250MW together with associated/ancillary offshore infrastructure. At this stage the layout of the array is not fixed and the particular wind turbines and foundations to be used have not been determined.

The onshore element of the proposed development includes cable landfall locations that are not currently fixed but could occur between Bawdsey Martello Tower and Bawdsey Manor or Felixstowe and Felixstowe Ferry. The developer is currently considering potential sites for onshore converter substations near to Bramford substation or at suitable sites within 5km of the Bramford substation.

Information about the proposed development and about its likely significant effects is available in the scoping reports and scoping opinion on the IPC’s website:

http://infrastructure.independent.gov.uk/projects/eastern/east-anglia-offshore-windfarm/

and in hard copy at the following location:

Infrastructure Planning Commission,

Temple Quay House,

Temple Quay,

Bristol

BS1 6PN

Based on the current information provided by the developer to the IPC, and applying a precautionary approach, the IPC is of the view that the proposed development is likely to have significant effects on the environment in Belgium, Netherlands, France, Germany, Norway and Denmark. In accordance with Regulation 24 of the EIA Regulations the IPC has provided information to Belgium, Netherlands, France, Germany, Norway and Denmark about the proposed development and its likely significant effects, and these EEA States have been asked to indicate by 27 April 2012 whether or not they wish to participate in the procedure for examining and determining the application under the Planning Act 2008 (the Planning Act) and Regulation 24 of the Infrastructure Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2009 (the EIA Regulations). Regulation 24 of the EIA Regulations transposes Article 7 of EU Directive 85/337/EC as amended into UK Law.

Based on the current information provided by the developer, the IPC have notified the following EEA States: that the IPC is of the view that the proposed development is likely to have significant effects on the environment of their State(s

Under the Planning Act 2008, the process for seeking a development consent order broadly comprises six stages:

• Pre-application (the Developer undertakes consultation on the proposed development. The IPC undertakes Stage 1 consultation under Regulation 24 if appropriate);

• Acceptance (28 days for the IPC to decide whether or not to accept the application);

• Pre-examination (the IPC undertakes Stage 2 consultation under Regulation 24 if appropriate);

• Examination (undertaken by an Examining authority with a maximum 6 months timeframe);

• Decision (3 months for the relevant Secretary of State to make the decision whether or not to grant development consent); and

• Post-decision (6 week legal challenge period)

The proposed development is currently at the pre-application stage of the process. The developer has not yet submitted an application to the IPC.

Once the developer has submitted an application for the proposed development, and this has been accepted for examination by the IPC, then the Developer is required to give formal notification of, and consult on, the application including the environmental statement (ES). Following acceptance the IPC will undertake further consultation as appropriate.

The IPC will, under the Localism Act 2011, be abolished on 1 April 2012, and the Planning Inspectorate will take over its work. Information about this application will, from 1 April 2012, be available on the Planning Inspectorate pages of the Planning Portal website. The new web address will be www.planningportal.gov.uk/infrastructure. Emails sent to the IPC after 1 April 2012 will be redirected. The telephone number for enquiries about national infrastructure projects, such as this, will not change.

Date 16 March 2012

Signed IPC