UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has granted planning consent to Corio and TotalEnergies’ 1.5GW Outer Dowsing wind farm off east England.
A final determination had initially been due by 10 October 2025 after the Planning Inspectorate completed a six-month examination of the 100-turbine project’s DCO application last April.
However, the deadline was subsequently postponed until today (10 February) to allow officials sufficient time to request and consult on further information.
Outer Dowsing Project Director David Few said: “This is great news for the project and for the country, as it means Outer Dowsing is one step closer to building enough UK-generated power to supply 1.6 million homes using the renewable energy of the wind.
“We would like to thank all those who have contributed to the project so far. Together, our efforts are making a major contribution to the UK Government’s clean power ambitions and our future energy security.”
Nicolas Payer, Country Chair for TotalEnergies UK, added: “TotalEnergies is delighted that the Outer Dowsing project has reached this important milestone. TotalEnergies has been a long-term investor in this project, which will make a significant contribution to providing low-carbon power to homes and businesses across the UK.”
Corio Generation Head of Europe Sharn Warn said: “The consent award for Outer Dowsing comes after four years of hard work by some of the most talented individuals in the industry and is a testament to the thorough and diligent approach undertaken by the project team.”
The Round 4 project is due to connect in November 2030 to a new National Grid substation at Weston Marsh in Lincolnshire that will feed into existing overhead lines.
Export cables will make landfall at Wolla Bank and run via an onshore substation at Surfleet Marsh.
Evidence heard during the DCO examination included representations from Orsted and Equinor on mitigation for projected wake effects at neighbouring wind farms operated by the duo.
The Outer Dowsing developers also proposed seasonal restrictions on construction and various other design changes to address environmental concerns raised by statutory consultees including Natural England.
The project did not secure a Contracts for Difference in January’s Allocation Round 7 and will be eligible to bid in AR8.
A three-year build-out is scheduled to start in 2027.
The project is expected to create £2bn of UK investment in its lifetime and 1,000 UK-based jobs during construction.