DNREC details how wind farm cables land in parks

State officials this week revealed how power lines from an offshore wind farm are expected to be installed beneath 3Rs Beach at Delaware Seashore State Park.

At a public information session Tuesday at Bethany City Hall, DNREC representatives displayed posters filled with information throughout the room.

Some say four cables will be dug 60 feet below 3Rs Beach to the parking lot. Each cable is installed in underground storage with buried power lines.

The cable will be installed 40 feet before the wetland entrance into Indian River Bay.

Ultimately, the lines will connect to the existing Delmarva Power & Light Indian River substation facility adjacent to the Indian River Generating Station.

Ray Bivens, director of DNREC’s Parks and Recreation Division, would not discuss anything other than the boring process or “the impact on recreational activities at the park, particularly the proposed parking lot.”

Given the depth of the boring, the nearby No. 3 fire control tower is six stories high, Bivens said.

One story is generally considered to be 10 feet.

There will be an excavation in the center of the parking lot that is 233 feet long, 60 feet wide and 15 feet deep.

Each concrete vault is 47 feet long, 12 feet wide, 11 inches deep and is topped with a sectioned concrete roof covering. There are two manhole covers in each, so you’ll see eight of them in the parking lot.

Manhole access is covered by a 36-inch recessed cover. Bivens said there is little need to access them.

Storage includes cables, joints, and fiber optic lines. All necessary components are isolated and there are no additional high voltage equipment inside the walls.

He said construction will take place during the off-season, likely between September 15th and May 15th. According to the poster, only construction personnel will be allowed access during that time.

During construction only, markers and buoys will be visible to assist with cable construction and installation on the Atlantic and Gulf sides.

One poster said: “Temporary disruption will remain within the confines of the parking lot.” “No dunes, wetland habitat or beaches will be disturbed.”

The excavated material will be reused as cover material, and the surplus will be transported to another location after consultation with DNREC.

According to the poster, the site will be restored to its original slope, elevation and materials.

Bivens said the parking lot will most likely remain a sandbox. If it had been paved, the sand would have been blown away anyway, he said.

When asked if running the cable would affect parks or wildlife, Bivens said no.

Bivens said land leasing and construction of offshore wind farms would be treated like other public utilities, such as cell phone towers, power lines and water pipes.

The presentation noted that a T-Mobile cell tower has already been installed at Delaware Seashore State Park and a Verizon cell tower has been installed at Cape Henlopen State Park.

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“Once construction is over, many people won’t even notice the access manhole,” Bivens said.

He said the parking lot construction would not be a major hindrance.

“It’s not like we need to take down a ton of trees,” Bivens said.

Delaware announced in December that it had begun formal negotiations with U.S. Wind about potentially leasing state-owned land at 3Rs Beach to power the regional power grid from turbines off the coast of Ocean City, Maryland.

Gov. John Carney said in a press release that a deal would bring $100 million in benefits to the state.

This announcement is aimed at people who don’t want to see wind farms from land, who fear damage to beaches and local wildlife, and who don’t believe wind farms are necessary. It caused an uproar among people who expected it to be something that wasn’t what it was supposed to be. Expensive compared to other power supplies.

Ocean City, Maryland is located on the south side of Fenwick Island, and the turbines, which are up to 983 feet tall, can be seen from Delaware.

US Wind projects MarWin and Momentum Wind will be allowed to install up to 121 turbines.

DNREC Director Sean Garvin said in a press release in front of City Hall that DNREC strives to involve the public as much as possible throughout the development of the transmission line project.

Wind projects in the United States currently go through a federal permitting process that is separate from the state process. The federal Office of Ocean Energy Management is currently considering input from a recent public comment process regarding the project’s environmental impacts.

State environmental permits will also be required if the project moves forward.

Cable under popular beach

During Tuesday’s four-hour event, diagrams and exhibits were displayed on easels set up in a circle around the room, and park staff were on hand at each station to answer questions.

of information poster Indicates existing parking and underground infrastructure that will be affected, impacts during construction, proposed construction areas, and anticipated recreational access restrictions during construction.

The wind turbine itself and other parts of the project are subject to federal and state permitting processes. They are or will be the subject of future public comment opportunities, according to a state press release.

3 R’s Beach is popular with beachgoers for swimming, sunbathing, fishing, picnicking, and walking on the beach.

It’s also one of the state’s most popular surf fishing destinations.

A survey of the number of vehicles during the busy season on Saturdays, Sundays, Wednesdays and public holidays confirmed that more than 2,300 vehicles were surf fishing there.