Vattenfall has signed a deal with US specialist C Speed to mitigate the potential impact of its Kentish Flats Extension offshore project on radar operations at nearby Manston Airport in Kent.
The UK government made tackling potential radar issues a condition of its consent for the up-to-17-turbine extension to the 90MW wind farm.
Vattenfall said: “Currently a system is installed at the airport gathering data, and if it proves successful it will be the first time a wind farm-capable radar has been installed, integrated and then submitted to the regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority, for approval. It amounts to a major investment by Vattenfall.”
Vattenfall secured an extension licence for Kentish Flats in 2010 and has awarded Vestas preferred status to supply between 10 and 17 of its V112 3.0MW offshore turbines for the project.
If the deployment is successful and signed off by the UK government, Vattenfall said it plans proceed to a final investment decision on the extension later this year.
In a separate development, UK technology group Aveillant has completed live demonstrations of its Holographic Radar system at Scotland’s Prestwick Airport.
Aveillant said the deployment successfully showed the technology could “intelligently discriminate” between turbines and aircraft, while integrating into air-traffic control systems.
