UK Approves Rampion 2 Offshore Wind Farm
The Rampion 2 Offshore Wind Farm off the Sussex coast has been consented, securing 1.2 GW of clean, secure, homegrown power for British families.
- Approval of Rampion 2 means that the government has consented enough clean energy to power 1.86 million homes, since July
- Estimated 9,000 jobs created as a result of approving major offshore wind and solar projects
- Delivers on government Plan for Change to make decisions on 150 Development Consent Order applications over this Parliament
A major offshore wind farm capable of producing enough clean electricity to power the equivalent of one million homes – has today (Friday 4 April) been approved by the Energy Secretary Ed Miliband as part of the government’s Plan for Change.
The Rampion 2 Offshore Wind Farm off the Sussex coast has been granted planning permission, securing 1.2GW of clean, secure, homegrown power for British families and businesses.
Seizing on the economic opportunity of the 21st century, accelerating towards clean energy will create the jobs of the future across the UK. The Rampion 2 developer estimates that this project alone will create 4,000 jobs in the construction of the 90 offshore turbines.
Approval moves the government a step closer to delivering clean power by 2030, putting the UK within 4 GW of the offshore wind range of 43-50 GW set out in the Clean Power Action Plan.
This step underlines the government’s commitment to unlocking vital infrastructure and backing growth and is the 15th Development Consent Order approved since July.
This decision follows measures in the new Planning and Infrastructure Bill which will see dozens of clean energy projects, including wind and solar power, jump to the front of the queue for grid connections.
The Bill will pave the way for windfarms and other low carbon infrastructure to be approved and built faster as part of the government’s mission to deliver homegrown, clean power that Britain controls and lower energy bills for good.
Energy Security Secretary Ed Miliband said:
The UK has a boundless supply of wind that cannot be turned on and off at the whims of dictators and petrostates.
It’s time to get off the fossil fuel rollercoaster, roll out clean power, protect our energy security and bring down bills for good.
This project puts us within reach of our clean power offshore wind target. Through our Plan for Change we’re getting on with delivering the clean energy and jobs Britain needs.
The government has already approved a number of major energy infrastructure projects since July, including:
- Cottam Solar Farm: 600 MW, enough to power the equivalent of 180,000 homes and support over 1,000 jobs during construction
- Heckington Fen Solar Farm: 500 MW, enough to power the equivalent of 150,000 homes and support over 1,000 jobs during construction
- Mallard Pass Solar Farm: 350 MW, enough to power the equivalent of 100,000 homes and support around 400 jobs during construction
- Sunnica Solar Farm: 250 MW, enough to power the equivalent of 150,000 homes and support around 1,690 jobs during construction
- Gate Burton Solar Farm: 531 MW, enough to power the equivalent of 160,000 homes and support around 360 construction jobs
- West Burton Solar Farm: 480 MW, enough to power the equivalent of 140,000 homes and support around 430 construction jobs
In the last renewables auction round the government secured almost 5 GW of new offshore wind capacity, including the largest offshore windfarm project in Europe – the Hornsea 3 project off the Yorkshire coast.
Notes
The details of the planning decision and the reasons for the decision are set out in the Secretary of State’s Decision Letter, which is published alongside the Report from the Examining Authority on the Planning Inspectorate website
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-consents-rampion-2-offshore-wind-farm