North Falls Offshore Wind Farm’s Development Consent Order (DCO) application has been accepted for examination by the UK Planning Inspectorate.
This marks a key milestone for the 50/50 joint venture between RWE Offshore Wind and SSE Renewables, following the submission of the project’s DCO application in July 2024.
North Falls is a proposed extension to the southern array of the existing 504MW Greater Gabbard Offshore Wind Farm, a 50/50 JV between SSE and RWE, with SSE operating the wind farm of behalf of the joint venture partners.
North Falls’ site will comprise one offshore array area totalling 90 square kilometres and will have a generating capacity of up to 1GW.
North Falls now moves into the pre-examination phase of the consenting process for major infrastructure projects.
The next phase, examination, is expected to begin in early 2025.
Project director Andy Paine said: “North Falls is set to play a key role in the UK’s net zero ambitions, as well as unlocking opportunities to create jobs and boost the supply chain in the local area.
“We are pleased to have reached this major milestone and look forward to the examination phase beginning in early 2025.
“We would like to thank those who have engaged and shared feedback with the project.
“Engagement with local communities, stakeholders and businesses over the last six years, alongside close coordination with the proposed Five Estuaries Offshore Wind Farm, has informed project development and the application we submitted to the Planning Inspectorate.
The site previously comprised two offshore array areas totalling approximately 150 square kilometres, but after North Falls’ 2023 statutory consultation the decision was made to remove the whole of the northern offshore array area and reduce the size of the remaining southern array.
If consented and approved for delivery, North Falls would support the UK government’s target of up to 50GW of installed offshore wind capacity by 2030 and make a substantial contribution to the achievement of UK decarbonisation targets and to global commitments to mitigating climate change.
The examination is expected to take up to six months, followed by a three-month period for the Examining Authority to make recommendations to the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero about whether permission for development should be given.
A final decision on consent, taken over a further three-month period, will sit with the Secretary of State.