The government has officially approved the Rampion 2 Offshore Wind Farm project, a major renewable energy development off the Sussex coast.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, granted the Development Consent Order (DCO) following a four-year consultation and engagement programme.
It will feature up to 90 turbines and is projected to power over one million homes.
Subsea cables will transport electricity from the offshore turbines to land at Climping Beach. From there, underground cables will carry the power to a new substation near Cowfold before connecting to the transmission network at Bolney in Mid Sussex.
Project Lead at RWE Umair Patel said:
“Rampion 2 could generate around three-quarters of all electricity demand for Sussex, and we thank the local community for their input in refining the project over the last four years.”
The project is now eligible to enter a future Contract for Difference auction, with a Financial Investment Decision (FID) pending from the joint venture partners.
If successful, construction could begin shortly after, with operations expected to start by the end of the decade.
Rampion 2 adds to RWE’s growing UK offshore wind portfolio, which includes 10 operational farms and nine projects in development, totalling a potential generation capacity of 10.5 GW.
Reacting to the news RenewableUK’s Deputy Chief Executive Jane Cooper said:
“It’s great to see this major offshore wind farm getting the green light as it will generate a vast amount of clean power for UK homes and businesses, strengthening our energy security significantly.
“It means that a massive 8.5 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity is now eligible to bid into this year’s auction for new clean energy projects. If the Government agrees contracts with all of them, we could see 14 offshore wind farms go ahead, built with over £17 billion of private investment.”
