Planners approve North Falls application for offshore wind array

A development consent order (DCO) application submitted by the North Falls Offshore Wind Farm has been accepted by the UK Planning Inspectorate for examination, marking a “key milestone” for the two companies following an initial application submitted in July, according to North Falls.

Consisting of an extension to the 504MW Greater Gabbard Offshore Wind Farm’s southern array, the project – a 50/50 joint venture (JV) between RWE and SSE – is expected to make a notable contribution to the UK’s renewable energy targets, featuring an offshore array spread across 90 sq km with a generating capacity of around 1GW.

With the application accepted, North Falls will move into the pre-examination phase of the consenting process designed for large-scale infrastructure projects, with examination itself set to begin in early 2025.

North Falls project director Andy Paine said the development would “[unlock] opportunities to create jobs and boost the supply chain in the local area,” adding that engagement with local communities, stakeholders and businesses over six years – as well as close coordination with the proposed Five Estuaries Offshore Wind Farm – had “informed project development and the application we submitted to the Planning Inspectorate”.

Before its current configuration, North Falls consisted of two offshore arrays located in a 150 sq km area.

However, a statutory commission by the company in 2023 saw it decide to remove the entire northern offshore array area, as well as reduce the size of the remaining southern array.

This latest DCO will aid in reintroducing capacity and – if consented and approved for delivery – support UK government targets pledging 50GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030 by contributing to decarbonisation targets and global commitments, according to North Falls.

The choice on whether to consent the project will lie with the secretary of state for energy security and net zero following an eight-month examination and decision period.

The company noted that considerations re the potential effects of the project had been mitigated thanks to the extensive experience and portfolios of SSE and RWE, who had learned “valuable lessons” while “consenting, constructing and operating offshore wind farms”.

The project has also applied to the Offshore Coordination Support Scheme (OCSS) alongside the National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET) and Five Estuaries Offshore Wind Farm to discuss propositions by NGET for an offshore connection to Sea Link as part of its Great Grid Upgrade – a plan to construct a marine cable between Suffolk and Kent.