Outer Dowsing Offshore Wind begins consultation after passing key milestones (02/08/2022)
- One of the UK’s largest windfarms under development has submitted its scoping report to the Planning Inspectorate
- Consultation process to inform project design comes after UK Government approval for The Crown Estate’s Habitats Regulations Assessment process.
The 1.5 GW Outer Dowsing Offshore Wind project is embarking on an extensive consultation exercise with stakeholders, after passing two important milestones in the leasing and environmental consenting process.
Located 54 kilometres off England’s Lincolnshire coast, Outer Dowsing will be one of the UK’s largest offshore wind farms upon completion. The project is being jointly developed by Corio Generation, a wholly-owned Green Investment Group portfolio company, and TotalEnergies.
Following the recent approval by the UK government of The Crown Estate’s Habitats 
Regulations Assessment process, the Outer Dowsing development team has now submitted a Project Scoping Report to the Planning Inspectorate.
The Planning Inspectorate will now consult widely with statutory stakeholders on the technical proposals before providing a formal Scoping Opinion. The views obtained during the scoping process, together with ongoing surveys, will be used to guide the design and layout of the windfarm and its associated infrastructure, ahead of formal submission for development consent, which is anticipated in late 2023.
Chris Jenner, Development Manager for Outer Dowsing Offshore Wind said: “We’re delighted to reach this important first stage in the planning process and look forward to continuing to work with local communities and other stakeholders as we develop the project plan for Outer Dowsing Offshore Wind.”
Once completed, Outer Dowsing is anticipated to generate enough renewable electricity to be equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of over 1.6 million households. The project 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 is expected to avoid the equivalent of nearly 2 million tonnes CO2 emissions for each year of operations. This is the equivalent of removing over 650,000 petrol cars from the road during its operating life.
What’s next?
The Planning Inspectorate will now consult technical statutory consultees for their views on the Scoping Report before issuing their Scoping Opinion.
The Outer Dowsing development team is now organising a number of public information events in Autumn 2022 to seek views from the local community on the project proposals.
The submission of the Outer Dowsing Offshore Wind Scoping Report, follows approval by the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy of the Plan Level Habitats Regulation Assessment process, allowing The Crown Estate to proceed with Offshore Wind Leasing Round 4, on the basis of a derogation.
A copy of the Scoping Report can be found on the Planning Inspectorate website
Round 4 Plan Level Habitats Regulation Assessment
On the 19 July 2022, the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy gave approval for over 8 GW of offshore wind to move into the next step in the seabed licencing process.
In April, following the completion of a Habitats Regulations Assessment – an assessment of the potential impacts on the most valuable environmental habitats in the UK – The Crown Estate gave notice to the UK and Welsh Governments of its intent to proceed with the Offshore Wind Leasing Round 4 plan on the basis of a ‘derogation’.
The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has now provided agreement that The Crown Estate can proceed with the plan, and the Welsh Government has not raised any objections to the notice. The means that projects such as Outer Dowsing Offshore Wind can now progress to enter into an Agreement for Lease with The Crown Estate. More information available from The Crown Estate: 2022 – Government approves 8GW of offshore wind in major milestone for renewable energy | 2022 – Government approves 8GW of offshore wind in major milestone for renewable energy (thecrownestate.co.uk)
About the Partners
TotalEnergies
TotalEnergies is a global multi-energy company that produces and markets energies: oil and biofuels, natural gas and green gases, renewables and electricity. Its 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
Corio Generation is a Green Investment Group (GIG) portfolio company, operating on a standalone basis. GIG is a specialist green investor within Macquarie Asset Management, part of Macquarie Group. With a unique blend of sector-leading expertise and deep access to long-term capital, Corio Generation applies a long-term partnership approach to the creation and management of projects, taking them from origination, through development and construction, and into operations.
Corio Generation’s 20+ GW pipeline is one of the largest in the world, spanning established and emerging markets, as well as floating and traditional fixed-bottom technologies. These next generation offshore wind projects will help form the backbone of the net-zero global energy system while meeting the energy needs of communities and corporate offtakers sustainably, reliably, safely and responsibly. For more information visit www.coriogeneration.com