UK approves Five Estuaries offshore wind, up to 1.08GW
UK grants consent for Five Estuaries offshore wind, extending Galloper. Decision allows up to 1.08GW and 79 turbines off...
Britain’s Five Estuaries Offshore Wind Farm has cleared its final planning hurdle. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero granted development consent on 17 December 2025 after a six‑month examination, confirming the project as an extension to the operational Galloper wind farm. The decision was signed by Energy Minister Alan Whitehead.
The consent sets a wide project envelope: up to 79 turbines and a grid connection capacity of up to 1.08GW off the Suffolk and Essex coasts. Earlier public material referenced “in excess of 300MW”, reflecting the scheme’s original framing as a Galloper extension; today’s decision formalises a higher ceiling following sector‑wide capacity reviews of extension projects.
What that means for electricity supply is substantial. Using Ofgem’s updated typical domestic consumption of 2,700 kWh a year and government assumptions for modern offshore load factors, a 300MW build equates to roughly 370,000–480,000 homes. If constructed at the new consented envelope,...