On 6th February 2024, the Examination of the Rampion 2 Development Consent Order (DCO) application will commence for the development of a new offshore wind farm with up to 90 wind turbines and the associated electrical infrastructure.
If consented, Rampion 2 Offshore Wind Farm could power the equivalent of over one million homes1 and reduce carbon emissions by around 1.8 million tonnes2 per year. Put another way, Rampion 2 could generate around three-quarters of all the electricity demands for the whole of Sussex3.
The Government’s Planning Inspectorate will hold a Preliminary Meeting and Public Hearings in Brighton, followed by further Hearings later in the year. Details are available at the Planning Inspectorate website at: http://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/rampion-2
“All representations made by statutory and community stakeholders and interest groups will be considered by the Examining Authority, and we look forward to responding to the issues raised during the Examination. Those who have registered as an Interested Party will be notified directly by the Planning Inspectorate about the next stages of the Examination,” said Umair Patel, Project Lead, Rampion 2.
The application being examined includes detailed proposals for the Rampion 2 Offshore Wind Farm, the final Environmental Statement, which sets out potential impacts and mitigations, and a Consultation Report, which details the engagement and consultations carried out over the past three years and how the Rampion 2 Project Team has taken account of the feedback received.
Should the project achieve consent, construction could start in late 2026 / early 2027, with the wind farm expected to be fully operational before the end of the decade, helping meet the UK’s increased target for a five-fold increase in offshore wind capacity by 2030.
Rampion 2 is being developed by RWE, one of the UK’s most established and experienced renewable energy producers and a global leader in offshore wind. It is developing the project on behalf of a joint venture company including a Macquarie-led consortium and a subsidiary of Enbridge Inc. (a leading North American energy infrastructure company). Together with owners of the existing Rampion Offshore Wind Farm they have signed an Agreement for Lease with The Crown Estate (managers of the seabed) securing an option to develop on the site.
For further information please see our Project Newsletter at www.rampion2.com/latest/
ENDS
References:
1 Based on an average annual domestic household electricity consumption of 3,509 kWh (Dept Energy Security & Net Zero, 2024).
2 the calculation made using a static figure of 446g/kWh representing the energy mix in the UK (BEIS, July 2020)
3 Based on total electricity consumption (GWh) in East Sussex, West Sussex and Brighton & Hove 2022 (DESNZ, 2024)