UK Energy Minister Alan Whitehead has granted planning consent to RWE’s 1100MW Five Estuaries wind farm off East Anglia.
The 79-turbine extension of the 353MW Galloper array is the fifth UK offshore wind farm to reach the milestone this year.
It follows permit nods for RWE’s 1.2GW Rampion 2 in April, JERA Nex bp-EnBW’s 1.5GW Mona and 1.5GW Morgan projects in July and August plus CIP’s 480MW Morecambe earlier this month.
A consent decision had been due by today (17 December) after an original deadline of 17 September was extended for officials to request and consult on further information including outstanding environmental management and monitoring concerns from Natural England.
The application was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate in March 2024 and accepted for examination one month later.
Evidence heard during the Five Estuaries DCO examination included representations from ScottishPower Renewables on mitigation for projected wake effects at the neighbouring 960MW East Anglia 2 development.
Five Estuaries is due to connect to the National Grid’s East Anglia Connection Node, near Lawford in Essex, in October 2030.
Elements of the scheme including the landfall location and onshore corridor for export cables have been closely coordinated with plans for RWE and SSE Renewables’ 1GW North Falls array, which has undergone a separate DCO examination and is due to receive a final determination early next year.
The wind farm was eligible to enter this year’s Allocation Round 7.