Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, the Rt Hon Ed Miliband MP has today awarded a Development Consent Order (DCO) for the Rampion 2 Offshore Wind Farm project, which is being developed off the Sussex coast.
Development of the project, an extension to the existing Rampion Offshore Wind Farm nearby, is being led by global renewables company RWE, on behalf of joint venture partners, a Macquarie-led consortium and a subsidiary of Enbridge Inc., a leading North American energy infrastructure company. Once fully operational, Rampion 2 would be capable of powering the equivalent of over one million UK homes1.
Rampion 2 is planned to comprise up to 90 wind turbines and foundations off the coast of Sussex. Subsea cables will bring the power to shore under Climping Beach. An underground cable route will take the power to a new substation at Oakendene near Cowfold, before finally connecting into the transmission network at Bolney, Mid Sussex.
Danielle Lane, RWE Director of Offshore Wind Development UK and Ireland: “We are delighted to receive the development consent order for the proposed Rampion 2 Offshore Wind Farm. This is a key milestone in the development of the project, as Rampion 2 can play an important role in helping secure the UK’s energy supplies from our abundant wind resource and play a key role in supporting the UK Government’s clean power ambitions.”
Umair Patel, Project Lead for Rampion 2 continued: “This is great news for Rampion 2 and for Sussex, as the wind farm could generate around three-quarters of all the electricity demands for the whole of Sussex and help generate jobs during both construction and operation. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Sussex community for their input over the past four years, helping us to refine and adapt the proposals to create the best possible project for this site, for the community and the environment.”
The project is eligible for submission into a future Contract for Difference (CfD) auction. A key milestone will be the Financial Investment Decision (FID) by the Joint Venture partners, after which construction would be able to start. The wind farm is expected to be operational by the end of the decade. Rampion 2 is being developed as an extension to the existing Rampion Offshore Wind Farm, off the Sussex coast. Rampion 2 is a joint venture between RWE, the major shareholder (50.1%), and its partners, a Macquarie-led consortium (25%) and Enbridge (24.9%).
RWE already operates 10 offshore wind farms across the UK. Including the three Norfolk offshore wind projects and the Rampion 2 project, RWE is developing nine offshore wind projects in the UK, representing a combined potential generation capacity of around 10.5 GW, with RWE’s pro rata share amounting to 7.5 GW. RWE’s unparalleled track record of more than 20 years in offshore wind has resulted in 19 offshore wind farms in operation.
1 Based on an average annual domestic household electricity consumption of 3,509 kWh (Dept Energy Security & Net Zero, 2024).
2 Based on total electricity consumption (GWh) in East Sussex, West Sussex and Brighton & Hove 2022 (DESNZ, 2024)