Abu Dhabi clean energy company Masdar and Germany's RWE have received approval to proceed into the planning phase of its proposed major wind farm project in the UK.
The development consent order for the 3-gigawatt Dogger Bank South (DBS) project was made by Lord Whitehead on behalf of UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, Masdar said on Thursday.
The projects also secured contracts for difference from the UK government in January. The application for the development consent order, meanwhile, was originally made in June 2024, with more than 1,000 documents submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for review and 10 online examination hearings held.
About 100km off the north-eastern coast of England, the DBS wind farm will be split across two sites – DBS East and DBS West – each with a capacity of 1.5GW and spanning 500 square kilometres.
They are being positioned as one of the world's largest offshore wind farms, with the capability to produce enough electricity to power about three million homes in the UK. It is also expected to create “significant opportunities” for businesses and communities in Yorkshire, the Humber and the wider UK, Masdar said.
In addition, the mega-plant is expected to lead to the creation of 2,000 jobs during construction and more than 1,000 direct and indirect jobs in the operational phase.
Masdar first completed the acquisition of a 49 per cent stake in DBS in early 2024, with RWE taking the remaining 51 per cent. It was part of an £11 billion ($14 billion) joint investment in the UK’s renewable energy sector.
Masdar and RWE signed an agreement to work together on the DBS projects at the Cop28 climate summit in the UAE in December 2023.
At the time, the first 800 Megawatts of electricity was planned to come online in 2029, with the projects' entirety to be fully commissioned by the end of 2031.
It also built on the £10 billion UAE-UK sovereign investment partnership that aims to invest in technology, infrastructure and energy transition.
Last month, Masdar and ScottishPower installed the UK’s largest wind turbine, which is capable of powering an average home for more than four days with a single revolution.
