Construction

Geological Profile:

Upper layer: Clay (1 meter depth).

Ground water channels - 1 meter below surface level of converter site.

Middle layer: Thanet Formation sand (40 meters)—soft, waterlogged, and unconsolidated.

Bedrock: Upper Cretaceous chalk, has not yet been found under the converter site after penetration tests - proposed to be 40 meters deep.

The proposed converter station requires deep piling to 20 meters and a 2-meter tall stone platform necessitating approximately 300,000 tonnes (16,000 HGV lorry loads) of aggregate to stabilize the site.

Permanent Access Road: A 1-kilometer access road across the marsh will require ongoing maintenance due to subsidence risks, evidenced by the nearby A256 Sandwich Road, which incurred £1.5 million in repairs in 2014 following 10–15 cm of subsidence on comparable marsh soils. Drainage and unbudgeted piling for this road further increase financial exposure.

Construction traffic (proposed 7am - 7pm 7 days a week), noise, and temporary compounds would compound disturbances from past and ongoing projects. Residents in nearby Ramsgate, Sandwich, Cliffsend, Pegwell Bay Village and Minster could face prolonged disruption.