RWE and Masdar have reached a significant development milestone for the Dogger Bank South (DBS) offshore wind farms.
The UK Planning Inspectorate has accepted the Development Consent Order (DCO) application for DBS East and DBS West offshore wind farms, situated over 100 kilometres off the northeast coast of England and slated to feature up to 200 turbines, delivering a combined capacity of 3GW.
The DCO application’s acceptance moves the projects into the pre-examination phase, with public examinations planned later in 2024. RWE and Masdar’s investment is expected to contribute nearly £1 billion to the UK economy, including £400 million for the Humber region. The development is expected to create up to 2,380 UK jobs during the construction phase.
The acceptance of the DCO application is just the beginning. The next steps involve securing Contracts for Difference (CfD), financing and construction. RWE’s CEO of offshore wind, Sven Utermöhlen, was effusive about the milestone: “We are thrilled to reach this pivotal point with the DBS offshore wind farms. Our partnership with Masdar underscores our shared commitment to driving forward the UK’s renewable energy agenda, supporting jobs and delivering substantial economic benefits to the region.”
Advancing offshore wind
Husain Al Meer, Masdar’s director of global offshore wind, echoed these sentiments, highlighting the project’s role in advancing clean energy: “We are delighted that, together with our partners RWE, we have taken this significant step toward advancing our offshore wind capacity in the UK, one of our key strategic markets.
“The DBS offshore wind farms demonstrate Masdar’s dedication to building the equitable energy system of tomorrow, and we are excited that we are one step closer to making it a reality.”
In January this year, RWE announced it had secured a 4.2GW offshore wind portfolio from Vattenfall. At the time, RWE’s UK portfolio comprised 10 offshore wind farms totalling 3.86GW. Six projects are in development, including the 3GW Dogger Bank South and 1.2GW Rampion 2 offshore wind farms. The Dogger Bank project is due to be fully operational in 2026 and will be the world’s largest offshore wind farm.