The second round of consultations for two of the three proposed wind farm projects in the Irish Sea will start next week.

The proposed projects will be located 20km to 30km to the south east of the island, and is expected to have a massive impact on the ferry links between the Isle of Man and England.

The ferries use different routes depending on the weather conditions, with the potential offshore wind farms affecting the available route in poor weather.

Two statutory consultations for Morgan and Morecambe wind farms will run from Wednesday, April 19, to Sunday, June 4.

A third non-statutory consultation will also open for Morgan and Morecambe offshore wind farms, which focuses on the infrastructure to the existing electricity network.

The two consultations for the third proposed wind farm, Mona, have now closed.

Island households have started to receive leaflets with details of how to take part in the consultations.

The projects are expected to generate enough clean electricity to power about 3.4 million UK households. A spokesperson for the Morgan and Morecambe wind farm projects said: ‘ The first phase of consultation which took place in November and December 2022 was the non-statutory consultation for the projects.

‘The non-statutory consultation is not a legal requirement. However, it allows us to engage with communities and stakeholders and gain their initial feedback on our plans, which will help the detailed design of the projects to deliver the best possible proposals.

‘The second phase of consultation is the statutory consultation. This is a legal requirement as set out in the Planning Act 2008.

‘Under the Planning Act, a Development Consent Order is the means of obtaining permission to construct and maintain developments including energy, transport, water and waste projects.

‘Before we submit a Development Consent Order application to the Planning Inspectorate, we hold statutory consultations where we provide detailed information about the projects and seek further feedback from communities and stakeholders.’

This week the Speaker of the House Juan Watterson said: ‘I think there is a lot of support for offshore wind in the Isle of Man, and in the UK, but it does have to go through a planning process, and it is important that Manx voices are heard particularly when it comes to preserving our lifeline for passengers and freight to the UK.’

He added: ‘I think really its incumbent on government to make sure that it is engaging with people in the UK in this planning process, and with others, to make sure that we do have this lifeline.

The first consultation took place at the end of 2022, and at the time the managing director of the Steam Packet, amongst others, voiced concerns on the proposals.

Steam Packet managing director Brian Thomson said: ‘The safety of navigation for ships when sailing through the wind farm corridors is a key concern.

‘The lack of open sea room for navigating in rough weather is likely to increase the risk of cancellations on the island’s lifeline routes.’

The Steam Packet has forecasted that the projects could cause 50 more ferry cancellations a year.

A spokesperson for the Morgan and Mona offshore wind projects previously said: ‘We understand the vital importance of the ferry routes serving the Isle of Man, and we’re committed to developing designs for our Morgan and Mona wind farms that minimise impacts on those links.’