Rampion 2: West Sussex offshore wind farm developer denies reports of funding setback
The developer of the proposed Rampion 2 offshore wind farm in West Sussex has rejected claims that the project has failed to secure government support.
In 2019, the Crown Estate approved an application by Rampion Extension Development Limited (RED) for an extension to the Rampion Offshore Wind Farm. 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 90 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 196km2 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.
A press release from Protect Coastal Sussex suggested that the project had been left ‘commercially uncompetitive’, following the UK Government’s Offshore Wind Allocation Round 7 (AR7). The campaign group highlighted the potential financial and ecological challenges of the project, including its estimated £3 - 4 billion costs and concerns over the suitability of Sussex Bay for industrial-scale wind development.
A spokesperson from Rampion 2 said the project is ‘targeting a future CfD round’, and described it as ‘wholly incorrect to claim the project has failed to win or been denied a CfD’.
They added that Rampion 2 is a ‘consented offshore wind project, designed to be eligible to bid into a future UK Government Contract for Difference auction’.
On the confidentiality of future auctions, the spokesperson said: “Auctions are strictly confidential and commercially sensitive and as such we would not comment on whether project partners will or will not bid into any specific auction.
"Timelines for all future CfD Allocation Rounds are the responsibility of the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and will be taken into consideration before determining any future bidding strategy.”
Campaigners argue that the English Channel is ‘too narrow’ and the Sussex Bay inshore ‘ecologically unsuitable’ for industrial-scale wind development of this nature.
A spokesperson for Protect Coastal Sussex added: “There are better locations for these huge wind turbines and associated infrastructure.
"PCS believes the Rampion 2 Wind Farm proposed for the Sussex Bay inshore should now be withdrawn. The Germany-based multinational RWE and its well-intended international investors
from Canada and Australia should instead focus on delivering offshore wind projects that were successful in UK Contracts for Difference Allocation Round 7, as well as other higher-value low- carbon generation projects that represent a more immediate national priority.”
In July 2024, the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, announced that she would end the ‘absurd’ restriction on new windfarms and said decisions should be taken nationally, not locally.
Due to previous restrictions, two onshore wind turbines have been built in England in almost a decade – including in Sussex – with projects in the pipeline shrinking by 90 per cent.
The onshore elements of the latest scheme include a buried transmission cable, with jointing pits, running for approximately 38.8km through West Sussex from the landfall to a ‘satellite’ project substation in close proximity to the Bolney substation in Mid Sussex – which serves Rampion 1.
The development consent order application was submitted in August 2023 and accepted by PINS in September 2023.
Examination of the application ran from February until August 2024 and a decision was due by early February 2025 – before being delayed until April 2025.
On April 4, the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero granted development consent for the project.
Rampion 2 is expected to be ‘fully operational and connected to the grid’ by 2030.
In its latest statement, the Rampion 2 team also highlighted RWE’s broader track record.
The spokesperson said: “RWE, as the lead developer of Rampion 2, is one of the world’s leading offshore wind companies, and was highly successful in the last offshore CfD auction round 7, winning new 20-year contracts for five of its offshore wind projects.
"It is progressing next steps for each of these projects with the full support of all its investment partners, towards full financial close, construction and operation at pace.
“Rampion 2 is progressing on plan and will continue to keep its key stakeholders and local communities informed of upcoming plans for onshore and offshore survey works and site investigations, as the project continues to advance.”
In July 2025, a group of Sussex MPs visited the current Rampion Offshore Wind Farm – eight miles offshore in East Sussex – on a crew transfer vessel, to learn more about how the offshore wind farm works and hear about the future Rampion 2 project. Read more at https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/politics/mps-visit-wind-farm-amid-extension-approval-could-power-the-entire-electricity-demand-for-the-whole-of-sussex-5236862