About
Upon completion, Outer Dowsing Offshore Wind will be one of the UK’s largest offshore wind farms. It is anticipated to generate renewable electricity equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of over 1.6 million households and will play a critical role in achieving the UK Government’s ambition to deliver 50 GW of offshore wind by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2050.
The Project
Outer Dowsing Offshore Wind is a 1.5GW offshore wind farm located approximately 33miles (54km) off the Lincolnshire coast. The cable will reach the land at Wolla Bank (just to the south of Anderby Creek) and then travel underground to a new substation in Surfleet Marsh.
Interactive map
An interactive map of the project is accessible here and will allow you to see the location of the different project elements and measure distances to other locations.
History
In early 2021, preferred bidder status was secured for a 1.5GW offshore windfarm in the Southern North Sea as part of the UK’s Offshore Wind Leasing Round 4. Known as Outer Dowsing Offshore Wind, the site was chosen through a competitive seabed tender process. The Crown Estate completed the Plan-Level Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA), assessing the potential impacts of the Round 4 plan on the UK national network of protected areas, covering its most valuable species and habitats. Following this, the Project was awarded a seabed Agreement for Lease by the Crown Estate.
In 2022 the Outer Dowsing Offshore Wind team began consulting with local communities in line with our Statement of Community Consultation.
Geotechnical works and many surveys were completed both onshore and offshore in 2022 through to 2024. Five rounds of consultation were held, with nearly 1500 attendees across 16 public engagement events and hundreds of responses that informed our application. In August 2023, Outer Dowsing Offshore Wind secured a grid connection for November 2030. Our Project Level Environmental Assessment was completed in 2024 and our Development Consent Order application was accepted in April 2024. We are currently in examination phase with a consent decision is expected to be taken in 2025. If consent is granted, construction could begin in 2027 with first power in 2030.
The Partners
Outer Dowsing Offshore wind is being developed by Corio (and its affiliates), TotalEnergies and Gulf Energy Development.
TotalEnergies is a global multi-energy company that produces and markets energies: oil and biofuels, natural gas and green gases, renewables and electricity.
It’s over 100,000 employees are committed to energy that is ever more affordable, cleaner, more reliable and accessible to as many people as possible. Active in more than 130 countries, TotalEnergies puts sustainable development in all its dimensions at the heart of its projects and operations to contribute to the well-being of people.
As part of its ambition to get to net zero by 2050, TotalEnergies is building a portfolio of activities in renewables and electricity to reach 35 GW of gross production capacity from renewable sources and storage by 2025, and then 100 GW by 2030 with the objective of being among the world’s top 5 producers of electricity from wind and solar energy.
TotalEnergies is already developing a portfolio of offshore wind projects with a total capacity of more than 11 GW, of which 2/3 are bottom-fixed and 1/3 are floating.
For more information, please visit www.totalenergies.com
Corio Generation is an award-winning global offshore wind developer headquartered in London, UK.
They help countries transform their economies with clean, green and reliable offshore wind energy. Offering a blend of leading sector expertise and deep access to long term capital, their next generation offshore wind projects will help form the backbone of the net-zero global energy system. Their global team of offshore wind specialists take projects from origination, through development and construction, and into operations, applying a long-term partnership approach to the creation and management of projects. Working in established and emerging markets, with floating and traditional fixed-bottom technologies, their projects support local economies while meeting the energy needs of communities and corporate offtakers sustainably, reliably, safely and responsibly.
Corio is a Macquarie Asset Management portfolio company operating on a standalone basis.
For more information visit www.coriogeneration.com
Gulf Energy Development (GULF) is a holding company headquartered in Thailand that invests in a global portfolio of energy, infrastructure, and digital and telecommunications businesses.
GULF brings close to three decades of experience in energy project management and operation, with a mission to invest in businesses related to renewable energy and climate management, in accordance with the global target to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
As one of Thailand’s largest private power producers with over 20 GW of gas-fired and renewable capacity, GULF is committed to supporting the energy transition with onshore and offshore wind projects, solar projects, and other contributions to energy security across various regions to create sustainable shared value in all spheres where it operates.
For more information, please visit www.gulf.co.th
Project Milestones
The UK Government has ambitious plans to have 50 GW of operating offshore wind capacity installed by 2030 – enough to potentially power every home in the UK.
Innovation and economies of scale within the offshore wind industry have helped to significantly drive down costs whilst at the same time decarbonising the economy and generating thousands of jobs in the supply chain. The sector has supported the regeneration of a number of local coastal communities and economies through both the construction and ongoing maintenance of projects.
The British Energy Security Strategy is expected to further increase the number of renewables industry opportunities in the UK by supporting 90,000 jobs in offshore wind by 2028 whilst at the same time reducing our reliance on imported fossil fuels
FAQs
Construction and Design
It is currently anticipated that construction will take up to 36 months
Outer Dowsing Offshore Wind will transmit the power from the offshore wind farm via underground cables. These will meet land at Wolla Bank and continue underground to Surfleet Marsh to the Outer Dowsing Offshore Wind substation. The project will then connect into a new National Grid substation at Weston Marsh that will connect into existing overhead lines.
No new overhead lines (pylons) will be built as part of the project; the cables will instead be buried underground from the landfall at Wolla Bank to the substation in Surfleet Marsh.
The maximum design envelope has been presented in the DCO application which constitutes an 80m wide temporary construction corridor with a 60m wide cable easement.
The highest point of the offshore wind turbine (the blade tip as it rotates) could be up to 403m above the sea (measured to Lowest Astronomical Tide (LAT)).
The wind turbines will be more than 33 miles (54km) offshore, therefore only the upper parts of the wind turbines be visible from the shore on a few days of the year. In addition, due to there being existing projects in between Outer Dowsing Offshore Wind and the shore, when viewed from most locations along the coast, the Outer Dowsing Offshore wind farm turbines will be hidden behind the other wind farms.
Property Agreements
For any landowner specific questions, please contact our Land Agents, Dalcour Maclaren.
Email: outerdowsing@dalcourmaclaren.com
Land Agent dedicated project phone line: 01623 709291
Ecology
The Project is committed to delivering a positive legacy for local wildlife. It is for this reason that avoiding sensitive environmental receptors has been central to the design of the cable routes and siting of the Onshore Substation. An Environmental Assessment of onshore ecology, including local wildlife and birds, has been be undertaken. This includes surveying the area to identify the presence and numbers of species. The Environmental Impact Assessment and supporting Development Consent documents submitted as part of the application include mitigation measures to reduce any potential impacts to non-significant levels. These are determined based on the species present and the specific requirements for each location. The Project is exploring opportunities for biodiversity net gain, with the aim to leave ecological habitats in a better state than before the Project.