Agenda item

(1)       Vattenfallis one of Europe’s main generators of electricity. It is owned by the Swedish state. It generates electricity through Nuclear, Hydro, Coal and Wind power. Its key markets are Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark and UK.  

(2)       Power generation in the UK is exclusively through onshore and offshore wind projects.  Since the appointment of a new CEO in 2014, Vattenhall has moved in the direction of renewable energy, whilst divesting itself of coal.

(3)       Wind Farms have been operational in the Kentish Flats since 2015.  Kent had been an important part of Vattenfall’s journey.

(4)       Taken together, the Kentish Flats and Thanet Offshore Windfarms have 145 turbines with a combined capacity of 449.5k MW.   This was sufficient to meet the energy needs of 126k households.   London Array has 175 turbines with a capacity of 630k MW.   The combined total of household energy needs that these three projects can meet is 470k. This is sufficient to power both Kent and Medway.  Due to the natural vacillations in output, these can only be an approximate figure. This has been calculated over a five year period. 

(5)       Vattenfall’s ambition is to grow across Northern Europe and to increase its offshore wind capacity to 600k MW per year.

(6)       Vattenfall has no onshore ambitions in Kent.  It has identified the UIK as having the best offshore potential in the World.  It has invested £9 billion in offshore projects in the UK.  Seabed areas for development are allocated by the UK Government.  Site construction takes place in full consultation with the MoD and the Civil Aviation Authority.

(7)       Offshore wind projects currently feeds some 10% of the UK’s energy needs.   The eventual aim of the Government is that 20% should be met by nuclear power, 25% by offshore wind power with the rest coming from a mixture of diverse sources.

(8)       Vattenfallconsiders that the UK has one of the most reliable energy systems in the World due to its energy mix of Offshore, Nuclear, Gas, Fossil fuels and Solar Energy.  It has the highest energy margin in Europe, although this will get tighter as coal-fired stations are decommissioned. .

(9)       Mary Thorogood agreed to provide written details in relation to the costs associated with renewal energy and on how energy capacity in the UK compared with that in the rest of Europe.

(10)     Local Authorities can do little to influence international events which could jeopardise energy security.  They can, however, work with other partners to secure more localised energy generation.  They can also play a role in unifying the benefits of renewable energy and gas with other councils and the rest of Europe.  At the same time, they are well placed to educate local communities who often find energy security difficult to understand.

(11)      Vattenfallis bullish about future energy prospects because the UK has the best conditions in the World for energy production, leading to major export and supply opportunities. Other reasons are that the necessary skills are being developed and the support provided by the Government.  

(12)     Vattenfallbelieves that 20 to 25% of the UK’s energy should be produced by Offshore Wind Farms by 2030.  This form of energy is a c option and will be competitive with new build gas by the 2020s.

(13)     Vattenfall is a company whose origins and ownership is Scandinavian.  The number of UK employees involved in its Wind Farms has now risen to 33% and will reach 50% by the mid-2020s.  When the company first entered the UK market, the building and repair work was carried out by Danish technicians.  This work is now mainly carried out by Kentish employees.

(14)     There is no European Super Grid. Energy produced in the UK is sent directly to the UK Grid.  There is some over-supply which is exported to Ireland. 

(15)     There are currently 205 technicians and admin staff directly employed on the London Array.  There is also a significant if unquantifiable number of jobs which has been created as a result of the company’s work. Examples of this are the fuel vessels which are now based in Ramsgate as well as the newly-created Thanet Fuel Association which supplies all of Vattenfall’s fuel needs.

(16)     Vattenfallhas found KCC to be “fantastically helpful” in promoting opportunities for business with it to local enterprises such as manufacturers, andintends to increase its efforts to involve local industry in its work by engaging with local events such as the recent Kent 2020 Day.

(17)      Vattenfallis still learning about the lifetime of its turbines. It estimates that each one will last approximately 20 years.

(18)     Vattenhalldoes not agree that the cost of serving wind turbines is necessarily greater than the maintenance of other forms of energy sourcing. They have thoroughly researched weather patterns, which has enabled them to carry out the necessary work efficiently at the optimum time.

(19)     Vattenhall has found Locate in Kent to be an excellent networking tool which they intend to make greater use of.