In 2019, the Crown Estate confirmed that an application by Rampion Extension Development Limited (RED) for an extension to the Rampion Offshore Wind Farm could go ahead on their land. The project, known as Rampion 2, will have a generating capacity of up to 1,200MW, compared with 400MW for Rampion 1.
The offshore element of Rampion 2 would include up to 116 wind turbines, with a maximum tip height of 325m above the lowest tide and up to three offshore substations. They would be located within a 270km2 area of search to the west and south east of Rampion 1, together with a small link or ‘bridge’ area between the two areas for cabling.
Cables would be laid on or beneath the seabed between the wind turbines and offshore substations and between the substations themselves. Export cables would be laid to transmit electricity from the offshore substations to the landfall at Climping Beach, near Littlehampton.
The onshore elements of the scheme include a buried transmission cable, with jointing pits, running for approximately 36km through West Sussex from the landfall to a ‘satellite’ project substation in close proximity to the Bolney Substation in Mid Sussex District (which serves Rampion 1).
RED consulted on the draft proposal from 14 July to 16 September 2021. Information about the project, including the latest news about its development is available on RED's website.
The County Council’s formal response to the consultation was approved in September 2021:
In autumn 2022 and winter 2023, RED consulted on potential changes to the onshore cable route. The County Council’s formal responses to the consultations were approved in November 2022 and March 2023.
- WSCC response to consultation on changes to onshore cable route (PDF, 482KB)
- WSCC response to consultation on alternative cable route (PDF, 431KB)
In spring 2023, RED consulted on enabling works at the Bolney substation. The County Council’s formal response to the consultation was approved in May 2023.
The DCO application was submitted in August 2023 and accepted by PINS in September 2023.
Examination of the application will run for six months from 6 February to 6 August 2024, with a decision due in early 2025. If consent is awarded, work would not start until later in 2025 with Rampion 2 fully operational and connected to the grid in 2029/30.
As a statutory consultee, the County Council will continue to engage in the development of Rampion 2 through to a decision by the relevant Secretary of State. This will include making representations and preparing and submitting documents as required under the DCO process and in support of the County Council’s formal consultation responses, taking account of any post-consultation changes to the scheme.
More information, including formal documentation, is available on the PINS website - Rampion 2 Offshore Wind Farm.