The UK has approved enhancement consent for Rampion 2, the planned 1.2 GW expansion of the 400 MW Rampion offshore wind facility in Sussex. The Enhancement Consent Order (DCO), granted by the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero on 4 April, will take effect on 28 April.
In 2021, RWE entered into a seabed lease agreement with The Crown Estate and filed the DCO application for Rampion 2 in August 2023. The Planning Inspectorate initiated the review process on 7 September 2023.
The inspectorate concluded the examination phase in August 2024, after public consultation and assessment of RWE’s application, and forwarded the recommendation report to the Secretary of State in early November 2024.
The Secretary of State was originally expected to make a determination on the project by early February, but the decision deadline was pushed back to 4 April.
Under the now-approved enhancement consent order, the Rampion 2 offshore wind facility is permitted to have a maximum of 90 wind turbines, each with a rotor diameter not exceeding 295 meters.
The initial concept for Rampion 2 specified that the project would feature 116 wind turbines; however, following regulatory consultations conducted in 2021 and 2022 and feedback regarding visual impact and transportation from key stakeholders, RWE scaled down the proposed site area and the number of turbines to 90.
The offshore wind facility will be situated adjacent to the south and west of the existing Rampion offshore wind farm, positioned between 13 and 25 kilometers off the Sussex coast, and will connect to the national grid at the Bolney Substation in Mid Sussex, with the cable running ashore beneath Climping Beach in West Sussex.
The DCO stipulates that the 1.2 GW project “must commence no later than the expiry of seven years beginning with the date this Order comes into effect.”
According to prior information about Rampion 2, construction is slated to commence in 2027, with the offshore wind facility anticipated to become fully operational before the end of the decade.
RWE is developing Rampion 2 on behalf of Rampion Extension Development Limited, a joint venture entity owned by the Germany-based developer, a Macquarie-led consortium, and a subsidiary of Enbridge.
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