Plans for the Rampion 2 Offshore Wind Farm - a second wind farm offshore of the Sussex coast - have moved a step forward following a public consultation.
The project team behind the wind farm has been consulting with the public on the cable route, which will bring power generated offshore, on shore to join the national electricity network at Bolney in Mid Sussex.
According to the team, the Rampion 2 Offshore Wind Farm could generate up to 1,200 megawatts, enough to power the equivalent of over 1 million homes. This means Rampion and Rampion 2 combined will be able to power the equivalent of all of the homes in Sussex twice over.
Chris Tomlinson, Development & Stakeholder Manager, Rampion 2, RWE, said:
“We have further consulted on alternative cable route options, which were driven by public feedback combined with ongoing engineering and environmental assessments. Our goal throughout has been to identify a cable route which best meets the needs of local communities, wildlife and the environment, while providing an economic connection solution.
“The most significant of these alternatives was the cable route section from Lyminster to Sullington Hill. Having considered feedback from our consultations, the Eastern Route, also known as ‘Longer Alternative Cable Route 1’, has been selected for this part of the route.”
This was principally in order to protect ecology, avoiding the Warningcamp Hill and New Down Local Wildlife Site, and Ancient Woodland. It also reflects feedback raised during consultations with the villages of Crossbush, Burpham and Wepham.
At the northern end of the Eastern Route on the approach to Sullington Hill, an alternative option ‘1d’, consulted on in February and March this year, has been selected to reconnect to the original route at Sullington Hill, as it has less impact on businesses, affects fewer hedgerows and is a more direct route.
Chris Tomlinson added:
“We know that prehistoric artefacts have been found on the South Downs before, so we will work with Historic England and local authorities to devise a system of archaeological investigation, as this could provide a rare and significant opportunity to find out more about how the South Downs were used in the past.”
Once installed, electricity cables will be buried underground. The Rampion 2 team says they are 'committed to reinstate the land back to its former condition as soon as possible after the works'.
Should the project achieve consent, construction could start around 2026/27, with the wind farm fully operational before the end of the decade, helping meet the UK’s increased target for a five-fold increase in offshore wind capacity by 2030.
Following the consultation, the team has thanked the Sussex community for their input over the past three years.
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