The UK Planning Inspectorate has concluded its six-month examination of RWE's application for a Development Consent Order (DCO) for the 1.2GW Rampion 2 wind farm off the southern coast of England. The Planning Inspectorate's recommendation is now expected to be submitted to Energy Secretary Ed Miliband within three months, who will then have until early February to make a decision on the DCO.
Should the DCO be granted, the 90-turbine extension to the existing 400MW Rampion 1 project could commence construction in 2026 or 2027, with operations expected to begin by 2030.
The proposed development has faced controversy, particularly concerning the onshore cable route through South Downs National Park. Despite RWE refining the route through consultations, objections have been raised by stakeholders such as Natural England. They argue that the siting of turbines in the easternmost part of the project area threatens the “defined special quality” of the national park and Sussex Heritage Coast.
In response to these concerns, RWE reduced the number of turbines from 116 to 90 and halved the size of the array area following initial feedback in 2021.
