Rampion wind farm extension 'could power a million homes'

The wind farm extension could see an extra 116 turbines off the Sussex coast

A wind farm expansion project could create renewable energy for more than a million homes, its owner says.

Plans have been announced for 116 new turbines in an extension of the Rampion wind farm off the Sussex coast.

A new joint venture company has signed an agreement with the Crown Estate - which manages the seabed - to develop the project on the site.

RWE Renewables said the project was at a "very early stage" and could be operation by the end of the decade.

The wind farm, situated between Brighton and Worthing, could be extended as far west as Bognor Regis.

In August 2019 the Crown Estate invited existing wind farms to express interest in expanding.

The turbines are 140m high and each blade is 55m long

RWE Renewables said the project site is adjacent to the existing Rampion offshore wind farm about 8 miles (13km) out to sea.

Chris Tomlinson, development and stakeholder manager for the project, said an area of over 116 sq miles (300 sq km) was being assessed to find the preferred layout and scale of the farm and routes for cables to the shore.

"Rampion is the only wind farm off the south coast of England and this densely populated region is where much of the electricity demand is concentrated," Mr Tomlinson said.

"Offshore wind is now cheaper than gas, nuclear and coal and creates tens of thousands of jobs.

"The government is committed to quadrupling our offshore wind capacity. Rampion 2 is an exciting opportunity to make a major contribution to this important target and tackle climate change."

Power for about 350,000 homes is generated from the farm's existing 116 turbines, which became operational in November 2018.

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