Rampion 2 Newsletter

September 2025

Rampion 2 approved by Government

On 4th April 2025, the Rampion 2 Team were delighted to be awarded consent for the Rampion 2 Wind Farm from the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, the Rt Hon Ed Miliband MP .

This key milestone for the project means Rampion 2 is now set to play an important role in securing the UK’s energy supplies from our abundant wind resource.

The decision followed a six-month thorough examination of the Rampion 2 proposals, which included a series of Public Hearings and an Open Floor Hearing to enable all statutory organisations and interested parties to explore a range of key issues.

DCO Examination Hearings in the Double Tree by Hilton Brighton Metropole

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Sussex community for their input over the past four years, helping us refine and adapt the proposals to create the best possible project for this site, for the community and the environment. I would also like to pay special thanks to our committed project team and consultants who have worked tirelessly to bring Rampion 2 a significant step closer to reality.

Rampion Proposal Map

Rampion 2’s Development Consent Order permits:

Offshore / Onshore

  • Up to 90 wind turbines and foundations 13–26 km off the Sussex coast

  • Maximum turbine height of 325 m to blade tip

  • Maximum turbine array area of 160 km²

  • Up to 3 offshore substations

  • Subsea cables to bring the power to shore under Climping Beach

Onshore

  • A 38.8 km underground onshore cable route

  • 27 trenchless crossings reducing disruption to roads, railways, and rivers

  • A new substation at Oakendene near Cowfold

  • Final grid connection into the transmission network at Bolney, Mid Sussex

Sussex MPs visit Rampion Wind Farm

On 18th July, the Rampion 2 team hosted a group of Sussex MPs, newly elected in 2024, on a visit to the Rampion Wind Farm.

They transited to the site from the Operations Base in Newhaven on board a crew transfer vessel to learn more about how the offshore wind farm works and hear about the future Rampion 2 project. They sailed around the wind farm and saw a turbine up close to experience the sheer power of the wind.

Alison Bennett MP for Mid Sussex, Alison Griffiths MP for Bognor Regis & Littlehampton, Dr Beccy Cooper MP for Worthing West, James MacCleary MP for Lewes, Jess Brown-Fuller MP for Chichester, John Milne MP for Horsham, and Tom Rutland MP for East Worthing & Shoreham donned safety equipment and headed out to the Rampion Wind Farm, eight miles offshore, on a bright day with calm seas.

As a Newhaven resident, I often see the Rampion vessels coming and going, so it was fascinating to get a better understanding of what happens offshore and all the work involved in keeping the lights on. The scale of the operation and the expertise of the team were hugely impressive. Offshore wind is vital to tackling the climate emergency, but it’s also a real opportunity for communities like ours, bringing jobs, investment, and skills to the South Coast.

Offshore wind energy offers this country huge opportunities to move away from fossil fuels and lower electricity bills, so I really valued being able to learn more by visiting Rampion 1 and discussing the significant increase in capacity that Rampion 2 will bring.

Left to right: Chris Tomlinson & Fruzsina Kemenes (Rampion 2), Alison Bennett MP , John Milne MP , Alison Griffiths MP , James MacCleary MP
Group with Rampion wind farm
Left to right: Vicky Portwain (Rampion 2), Beccy Cooper MP , Jess Brown‐Fuller MP , Tom Rutland MP & Chris Tomlinson (Rampion 2)

Rampion 1 has been a huge success, and it’s great to see Worthing being part of the green energy transition and the much-needed reduction in fossil fuel use. I’ll be working with Rampion to make sure that our precious Sussex Bay environment and our coastal community remain central to the conversation as we look ahead to Rampion 2.

My recent visit to the Rampion wind farm site was impressive—the turbines themselves are spectacular up close. When Rampion 2 is completed, it will provide enough clean electricity to power the whole of Sussex, making a significant contribution to our net zero ambitions. Unlike fossil fuels, which are sold on global markets, 100% of our wind energy is consumed here in the UK, cutting energy bills while delivering genuine energy security and the well-paid green jobs our communities need.

I had a brilliant time visiting the Rampion Offshore Wind Farm; it was great to see this fantastic clean power project up close and learn more about it. The clean power it produces for the UK is crucial in tackling climate change, so I’m delighted that the government has now granted development consent for Rampion 2.

Rampion cable route successfully reinstated

An aerial inspection of Rampion Offshore Wind Farm’s underground onshore cable route has revealed that evidence of the temporary construction has almost completely disappeared from view, thanks to the successful reinstatement of the land it passes through.

Rampion’s cable route reinstatement was completed in 2019, and the project is now halfway through a 10-year monitoring and management plan, meaning the land will continue to be monitored every year until 2029, with additional planting and seeding carried out if required.

The 27-kilometre Rampion cable route makes landfall under the beach at Brooklands Pleasure Park in Worthing and follows a course beneath the railway, the A27, and the River Adur. It then heads northeast past the Old Cement Works, across the South Downs and the Weald, and continues to the final connection point at a new substation next to the Bolney National Grid Substation in Mid Sussex.

The Rampion cable route is entirely underground, and the overhead lines and pylons shown in the video footage are all connected to other power stations or grid networks unrelated to the Rampion Wind Farm. During the Rampion 2 consultations, many people asked why the existing Rampion cables were not being used. This is because they do not have the capacity to accommodate three times more power from Rampion 2 to connect the project to the transmission network.

We will bury the new Rampion 2 cables underground for the entirety of the route using a trench, ducting, and backfill method of installation to allow for faster reinstatement, so any inconvenience will be temporary and limited to the construction period only. The practical experience gained from the work undertaken to deliver the Rampion project has been fed into the planning for Rampion 2.

See the video and pictures here

Next Steps

The Rampion 2 Team is busy working behind the scenes to continue progressing the project. As a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project, there is a considerable amount of work to complete before the project can communicate a programme for construction, which includes:

  • Updating onshore and offshore surveys

  • Continuing onshore and offshore site investigations

  • Further engagement with statutory bodies and local communities

  • Design progression and refinement

The Team will continue to keep the Sussex community and stakeholders informed of activities as the design continues to be refined.

Rampion 2 to Generate Clean Energy, Jobs, and Investment

If the final design accommodates the consented 1,200 MW electrical generation capacity, Rampion 2 will…

Produce clean, green electricity for the equivalent of over 1 million homes¹

Create demand for an average of over 4,000 jobs per year, during construction⁴

Generate three‐quarters of all the electricity demands for Sussex³

Create 40‐50 direct permanent jobs during operation and approx. 500 full time jobs across UK supply chain expenditure over the lifetime of the project

Save around 1.8 million tonnes² of CO2 every year for 30‐35 years

Secure a £multi‐billion investment in construction

Combined with Rampion, power the entire electricity demand for Sussex³

Help support the UK Government aim to reach up to 43GW of offshore wind capacity

References: ¹ Based on an average annual domestic household electricity consumption of 3,509 kWh (Dept Energy Security & Net Zero, 2024). ² Calculation made using a static figure of 446 g/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). ⁴ Full-time equivalent jobs employed by Rampion 2, Tier 1 contractors, and the wider supply chain.

Rampion 2 consultations
Thank you for your feedback

We consulted the Sussex community and statutory bodies on our draft proposals over a two-and-a-half year period.

Jan-Feb 2021 

4-week non-statutory
project-wide consultation

Over 6,500 views of our
online consultation materials

July-Sept 2021 

9-week statutory project-wide consultation (reopened Feb-Apr 2022)

Over 12,500 views of our online consultation materials  

Over 1,700 written
responses received

Oct-Nov 2022 

6-week statutory onshore consultation

Over 800 people attended 20 meetings and events

Over 400 responses received

April-May 2023 

Bolney National Grid substation extension consultation

50 attended consultation event in Wineham

Feb-Mar 2023 

Targeted onshore consultation (cable route option ‘1d’)

Approx 50 responses received

Rampion 2 would like to thank the Sussex community for their input over the past three years, helping to shape the final proposals submitted in our Development Consent Order (DCO) application.

Development Consent Order (DCO) Process and timeline

August 2023

DCO application submitted

The Planning Inspectorate, on behalf of the Secretary of State (SoS), has 28 days to decide whether the DCO application meets statutory requirements. As part of this process, the Planning Inspectorate consults local authorities on the adequacy of our consultation

September 2023

DCO Acceptance

The Planning Inspectorate accepts our application for examination, appoints Examining Authority and launches Rampion 2 webpage to publish DCO process and documentation.  We publicise the application, setting out how to register as an ‘Interested Party’ and submit ‘Relevant Representations’ to express opinions

November 2023 - February 2024

Pre-examination

The Examining Authority makes an initial assessment of the application, updates Interested Parties, then holds a Preliminary Meeting to outline the overall timetable for the process and determine how the application should be examined

February - August 2024

Examination

The Planning Inspectorate completes a full review of the DCO submission within 6 months. There are opportunities for people or groups to send comments in writing and/or request to speak at Public Hearings

Early 2025

INDICATIVE
Decision

The Planning Inspectorate issues a recommendation to the SoS within 3 months of the examination. The SoS has a further 3 months to decide whether to grant a Development Consent Order

Late 2026 - Early 2027

Subject to consent
Construction starts

Onshore construction usually starts first with site set up.  Offshore ‘enabling works’ such as boulder clearance, helps to prepare the seabed.  All construction takes place in accordance with Management Plans to ensure compliance with our DCO Requirements

2029 / 2030

Completion & operation

The Rampion 2 wind farm is commissioned, connected to the national grid and fully operational before the end of the decade, helping meet the UK’s target for a five-fold increase in offshore wind capacity by 2030

Preliminary Meeting and Public Hearings

Preliminary Meeting
6th February at 10am
To enable views about how the application should be examined and issue the examination timetable.

Open Floor Hearing
6th February at 2:30pm
To allow Interested Parties to make oral representations about the application itself.

Issue Specific Hearings
7th – 9th February at 9:30am
To allow the Examining Authority to consider environmental matters and Interested Parties to make representations on these.

Venue
The Planning Inspectorate has decided these meetings will be held at the DoubleTree by Hiton Brighton Metropole, Kings Road, Brighton BN1 2FU. Subsequent Hearings may be held elsewhere in the local area.

You must register in advance if you wish to participate, but anyone can observe the events either in person or livestream online, and a recording will be published on the project webpage shortly after the event.

For further information, please visit
www.infrastructure.planninginspectorate
.gov.uk/rampion-2

Project evolution

Having consulted on draft proposals for a large offshore ‘Area of Search’ and a number of onshore cable routes and substation sites, we listened to feedback which helped shape our final DCO proposals.

Rampion 2 in numbers
OFFSHORE

90 (max)

Turbines

26 fewer than originally proposed

160km2

Turbine array area

Around half the original Area of Search

13 - 26km

Distance from shore

Off the Sussex coast

325m (max)

Turbine height to blade tip

Futureproofing for turbine technology

3 (max)

Offshore substations

Increasing voltage to reduce transmission losses

4

Export cable circuits

Bringing power to ‘landfall’ under Climping Beach

ONSHORE

38.8km

Cable route length

Underground for the entire route

4 (max)

Cable circuits

3 power cables in each circuit

27

Trenchless crossings

Reducing disruption to roads, railways and rivers

1

Grid connection

Into Bolney National Grid substation

1

Onshore substation

Enabling connection into national grid network

1 million

The result
1 x Rampion 2 Wind Farm could power over 1 million homes1

DCO Requirements

Should Rampion 2 be awarded consent it will be subject to DCO Requirements, which are similar to planning conditions.  These Requirements will include the production of a series of Management Plans covering a range of issues such as traffic & transport, noise, health & safety and communications.  

Our Management Plans will need to be approved by the Discharging Authority (DA), made up of one or more local authorities or statutory bodies. The DA will then monitor our works to ensure we are carrying out construction in line with the DCO Requirements.

Successful reinstatement follows temporary cable route construction works

Once installed, electricity cables will be buried underground, and the Rampion 2 team is committed to reinstate the land back to its former condition as soon as possible after the works.  The reinstatement works will be set out in a Landscape Management Plan, and will be monitored every year for 10 years with reinforced planting taking place, if needed. 

Did you
know?

During Construction
After reinstatement

These photos show successful reinstatement of a typical onshore cable route.  Within a year or so of reinstatement works being completed, the land is successfully restored.

Can your business get involved in Rampion 2?

RWE, developer of Rampion 2, has established a Supplier Transparency & Engagement Programme or ‘STEP’, which aims to maximise awareness of the opportunities offered to business by the growing offshore wind industry. Our Rampion 2 STEP initiatives include:

  • a suite of Supplier Engagement Days to raise awareness of supplier capabilities and opportunities, while helping to solve supply chain challenges
  • an easy-to-use Supplier Engagement Platform with ‘open search’ functionality, to enable larger suppliers to search for product and service suppliers by region
  • the opportunity to arrange calls on a quarterly basis to keep in touch with project team members
  • a dedicated suppliers webpage to provide project updates of our events, opportunities and initiatives

Come and speak to us at our first Supplier Engagement Day being held later this year – keep an eye on rampion2.com/suppliers for details of how to register.

Rampion 2 is a joint venture between RWE, a Macquarie-led consortium and Enbridge.  RWE is leading the development of the project on behalf of the joint venture.

Rampion 2 – In the community

Autumn 2023 – Rampion 2 held a team building event which involved some volunteer work at the Ferring Country Centre.  Hannah Woodgate, Supply Chain Manager, shares her own experience of the day…

“There were a number of tasks that the centre needed some assistance with, which for me involved cleaning some stables within the riding therapy centre. The centre has fantastic facilities including a winch, to allow people with disabilities and limited mobility to be able to get on the horses. We got chance to meet some of the customers and understand why and how the centre helps them. Overall, it was a really rewarding experience with lovely staff.”

If the wind farm is consented and moves into construction and operation, Rampion 2 will become a permanent part of the Sussex community and the team looks forward to continuing their engagement with local communities.  Watch this space for regular updates of our community initiatives.

The Rampion 2 Team at the Ferring Country Centre

Have you been to the Rampion Visitor Centre?

Discover, learn and explore wind energy at the Rampion Visitor Centre in a fun and engaging way with a series of interactive exhibitions. Located in the seafront arches opposite the West Pier in Brighton, entry is FREE and further details can be found at: rampionoffshore.com/visitor-centre

The Rampion 2 Team would like to wish you all the very best for 2024!
rampion 2 color logo stacked
Contact Us
Rampion 2 Wind Farm, Rampion Extension Development Ltd, Windmill Hill Business Park, Whitehill Way, Swindon, Wiltshire SN5 6PB

Registered in England & Wales
Company Number: 12091939

Tel. 0800 2800 886
Web. rampion2.com
Email. rampion2@rwe.com

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