Rampion Offshore Wind Farm given go-ahead by Government

Once completed the Rampion Offshore Wind Farm project is expected to generate enough electricity to power approximately 450,000 homes.

According to EON’s website the wind farm could consist of between 100 and 175 turbines and would be located around 13-23km off the coast.

It would also see 24.6km of underground cabling installed from the coast to an electricity substation around 2km south-west of Bolney, which would go through the South Downs.

The application was submitted for consideration in March 2013 and accepted for examination later that month.

Following a six month examination during which the public, statutory consultees and interested parties were given the opportunity to give evidence to the examining authority, a recommendation was made to the Department of Energy and Climate Change in April 2014.

Ed Davey, Energy and Climate Change Secretary, said: “We’re driving investment in our energy security, and our plans have made us number one in the world for investment in offshore wind energy.

“This project is great news for Sussex, providing green jobs as well as driving business opportunities right across the country in a sector with a clear roadmap for long-term growth.”

Simon Ridley, chief executive of the Planning Inspectorate, added. “This is a significant application for the offshore wind energy sector and required a Panel of three examining inspectors who were given the task of considering the evidence put to them by the interested parties.

“A major priority for us over the course of the examination was to ensure that communities who might be affected by this proposal had the opportunity to put forward their views.”

Onshore construction is expected to start in 2015 and the project including the offshore installation will take 4 years to complete.