The UK Planning Inspectorate has completed the examination of RWE’s application for a development consent order (DCO) for Rampion 2, the proposed 1.2 GW extension to the existing 400 MW Rampion offshore wind farm in Sussex.
The Examining Authority (ExA) at the Inspectorate now has three months to make a recommendation on whether to approve the project. According to a notice from the ExA on 7 August, the findings and conclusions of the examination, together with the recommendation will be sent to the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero no later than 6 November.
The final decision on Rampion 2 will be made by early February 2025, at the latest, since the Secretary of State will have three months to decide on whether to grant or refuse development consent after the ExA sends in its report.
RWE is developing Rampion 2 on behalf of Rampion Extension Development Limited, a joint venture company owned by the Germany-based developer, a Macquarie-led consortium, and a subsidiary of Enbridge.
The project partners submitted the DCO application in August 2023 with the Planning Inspectorate starting the examination process on 7 September 2023.
If consented, construction on Rampion 2 could start in late 2026 or early 2027 and the offshore wind farm would then be fully operational before the end of the decade.
The project, located between 13 and 25 kilometres offshore, is proposed to have 90 wind turbines and a total generation capacity of 1.2 GW, enough to power more than 1 million homes, according to RWE.