The UK Government has granted a string of consents for large offshore wind farms, approving two major projects off the north-east coast and a separate development in the southern North Sea.
Alan Whitehead, acting on behalf of the secretary of state for energy security and net zero Ed Miliband, has granted Development Consent Orders (DCOs) for two co‑located wind farms known as Dogger Bank South West and Dogger Bank South East.
The projects, being developed as a joint venture between German generator RWE, with a 51% stake and Abu Dhabi’s Masdar, with a 49% stake, would together provide 3GW of capacity.
The turbines are proposed to be sited more than 100km off the north‑east coast of England and will include associated offshore and onshore cables and substations to connect to the National Grid.
The DCO application was submitted in June 2024 and underwent the statutory examination process, which involved public hearings and evidence submissions before the Planning Inspectorate recommended consent in October 2025.
Both Dogger Bank South projects secured Contracts for Difference (CfDs) in the UK government’s Allocation Round 7 earlier this year. RWE and Masdar said they will now move to detailed final design and procurement work with a view to taking a final investment decision in 2027.
Separately, a joint venture between RWE and SSE has received planning consent for the North Falls offshore wind farm, a proposed extension to the southern array of the existing Greater Gabbard project. The DCO permits construction of up to 57 turbines, associated foundations and up to two offshore substations. North Falls would sit about 40km from the East Anglia coast at its nearest point and is expected to have a nameplate capacity around 1GW when final designs are settled.
RWE and SSE say the project will aim for a future CfD before taking an FID. The developers estimate North Falls could supply clean power to “hundreds of thousands” of homes, pending the final capacity determination.
These new permissions follow the formal examination procedure set out in the Planning Act 2008. With DCOs now in place, the projects will move into detailed design and procurement.
Both Dogger Bank South and North Falls expect to secure further project financing decisions over the coming 18–24 months, with RWE and its partners targeting final investment decisions in 2027 for the Dogger Bank South pair.
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