Proposals for offshore wind farm take step forward

The proposed development would be off the cost of Maughold on the east of the island

Proposals for an offshore wind farm off the Manx coast have taken a step forward after a planning application for the project was officially accepted by the Council of Ministers.

Energy firm Orsted was granted a lease to explore the potential for a wind farm in on the north eastern coast in 2015, and research and several surveys have been taking place over recent years.

The proposals are for a site between six and 12 nautical miles (11.1km to 22.2km) off Maughold.

An independent review will now take place and a 12-week consultation has been launched for people submit comments or register as an interested party.

The application has been received under the Marine Infrastructure Management Act 2016, marking the first time the new legislation has been used.

As the application differs from land-based proposals, the Council of Ministers acts as the planning authority and therefore is not able to comment on the proposals while the external review takes place.

'Inform and shape'

Orsted's full application is available through a new website, which the government said would be a "central resource" for anyone interested in the plans.

The planning process is expected to take between 18 and 24 months, making it a potentially significant issue for the general election in September next year.

The firm's director Jamie Baldwin said the application had followed on from a consultation with the community in 2024, the findings of which were published earlier this year.

Mr Baldwin said that feedback had "allowed us to refine and adapt the proposals put forward" in the formal plans.

A government spokeswoman said the application had been deemed "acceptable" and received by ministers, and the consultation was "part of the statutory process and the next step required in law".

Chief Minister Alfred Cannan said: "This does not mean that the Council of Ministers, or indeed any particular minister, is either for or against the proposals.

"And throughout this period government will not be in a position to comment on any of the merits or otherwise of the proposal."

Cannan said the "pre-examination phase" of the process allowed members of the public, organisations and stakeholders to express their views on the plans.

"Views expressed during this phase can inform and shape the structure of the examination," he said.

A spokeswoman said that at the end of the consultation the application and responses will be "referred to a panel of independent experts in major infrastructure consenting applications".

Appointed by the council, examining body would "review the application, arrange any hearings and meetings, set the examination timetable at a public, preliminary meeting, and submit a recommendation to the Council of Ministers", she added.

Garff Commissioners started its own consultation process earlier this month to gather views from residents in the Maughold and Laxey areas, which are likely to be affected by any visual impact.