The British government has approved the development consent order for the Rampion 2 offshore wind farm, located off the coast of southern England. RWE is leading the project, in partnership with a consortium led by Macquarie and a subsidiary of Enbridge. The project will feature up to 90 offshore wind turbines and foundations, with the generated electricity transmitted through a network of subsea and underground cables to the transmission grid.
The Rampion 2 project is an extension of the nearby Rampion wind farm, and is expected to be completed by the end of the decade, subject to a positive financial investment decision. The project is eligible to participate in a future Contract for Difference (CfD) auction.
In other news, Cadeler’s installation vessel Wind Peak has recently installed the first turbine at RWE’s Sofia offshore wind farm development, located on the Dogger Bank in the UK’s southern North Sea. The Wind Peak will transport six sets of Siemens Gamesa 14-MW SG 14-222 wind turbines to the location during each visit. The Sofia project is expected to be fully operational in the second half of next year.
The approval of Rampion 2 and the progress on Sofia are significant milestones in the development of offshore wind power in the UK. These projects demonstrate the country’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions and increasing its use of renewable energy sources. The Rampion 2 project, in particular, will help to decarbonize the grid in southern England, providing clean energy to homes and businesses in the region.