SSE has welcomed the decision by The Crown Estate, agreed by the UK Secretary of State for Energy & Net Zero, to proceed with its Capacity Increase Programme.

This initiative aims to maximise the potential of existing offshore wind lease areas around England sand Wales, potentially unlocking an additional 4.7GW of capacity for new green electricity generation across seven fixed-bottom offshore windfarms.

The programme, first announced in November 2023, allows for existing seabed lease agreements to be amended, subject to agreement of terms, to facilitate these capacity increases. Among the seven affected sites are two significant SSE joint venture offshore wind projects currently being developed off the east coast of England: Dogger Bank D (a 50:50 joint venture with Equinor) and North Falls ( a 50:50 joint venture with RWE).

At Dogger Bank, the decision enables SSE and Equinor to maximise the capacity of the eastern portion of the existing Dogger Bank C seabed lease area, potentially unlocking up to 2GW of renewable energy at the proposed Dogger Bank D project. This would form a potential fourth phase of the in-construction 3.6GW Dogger Bank Wind Farm.

-- Advertisement --

At North Falls, the decision could facilitate a potential capacity increase to up to 900MW within the existing project boundaries. Importantly, this increase would not require an increase in the number of proposed wind turbine generators at the offshore site.

While The Crown Estate's decision is a significant step, the delivery of both the Dogger Bank D and North Falls projects remains subject to each securing Development Consent Orders (DCOs) and reaching final investment decisions.

Paul Cooley, Director of Offshore Wind at SSE Renewables, commented: "This decision marks a further milestone in the progression of SSE's offshore wind pipeline off the coast of England in the UK North Sea. By securing increased potential capacity at our Dogger Bank D and North Falls joint venture projects we can help ensure each project, if approved for delivery, can play a vital contribution towards the UK's clean power targets from offshore wind."

He added: "Working with our joint venture partners, we now look forward to engaging closely with The Crown Estate on the next steps to agree the progression of both Dogger Bank D and North Falls, while also progressing each project to secure Development Consent Orders.

The decision to proceed with the Capacity Increase Programme follows the conclusion of a plan-level Habitats Regulation Assessment (HRA) conducted by The Crown Estate to evaluate the potential effects on protected habitats. The capacity increase will proceed based on a derogation, which includes compensation measures to address identified impacts on marine habitats and species.