Notice is hereby given that the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero has accepted an application (“the Application”) by RWE Renewables UK Dogger Bank South (West) Limited and RWE Renewables UK Dogger Bank South (East) Limited (“the Applicants”) (registered office at Windmill Hill Business Park, Whitehill Way, Swindon, SN5 6PB) for a Development Consent Order under the Planning Act 2008 (“the Act”). The Application (reference number: EN010125) was submitted by the Applicants to the Secretary of State c/o the Planning Inspectorate on 12 June 2024.

Summary of the Project

The Application is for development consent to construct, operate, maintain, and decommission two offshore wind farms known as Dogger Bank South East (“DBS East”) and Dogger Bank South West (“DBS West”), both located in the North Sea on the Dogger Bank (together referred to as “the Projects”) and the associated development to connect the proposed offshore wind farms to the national grid.

The Projects would have a combined maximum number of 200 turbines. The offshore array areas for DBS West and DBS East are situated at a minimum of 100km and 122km from shore respectively. The proposed onshore works consist of installation of buried onshore export cables, from a landfall on the East Riding of Yorkshire coastline near Skipsea to (up to) two newly constructed onshore converter stations near the hamlet of Bentley, before onward onshore cable routeing to the proposed Birkhill Wood National Grid substation close to the existing Creyke Beck substation.

Maps showing the onshore and offshore locations of the wind farms and associated infrastructure form part of the Application (document references 2.2 for the onshore location plan and 2.1 for the offshore location plan), which can be viewed on the Planning Inspectorate’s website under the documents tab:

https://national-infrastructure-consenting.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/EN010125/documents.

As the proposed wind farms will have a generating capacity in excess of 100MW, they are classified as Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP) pursuant to sections 14(1)(a) and 15(3) of the Act. Development consent is therefore required for the Projects. The Development Consent Order would, if granted, authorise the compulsory acquisition of land, interests in land and rights over land, and the powers to use land permanently and temporarily.

The Development Consent Order would also authorise alterations to the public highway network, the construction of temporary construction and permanent access routes, the temporary stopping up and / or management of the public highway, public rights of way and street works, and the application and / or disapplication of legislation.

Environmental Impact Assessment development

The Projects are Environmental Impact Assessment developments for the purposes of the Infrastructure Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017. An Environmental Statement has therefore been submitted as part of the Application (Volume 7).

Copies of Application documents

The Application form and the accompanying documents, plans and maps, including the Environmental Statement can be viewed and downloaded free of charge on the Projects’ page of the Planning Inspectorate’s website under the ‘Documents’ tab:

https://national-infrastructure-consenting.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/EN010125/documents

The documents will be available online throughout the pre-examination and examination process.

Hardcopies of the Non-Technical Summary of the Environmental Statement (document reference 7.0) and a Guide to the Application (document reference 1.4 ) along with electronic copies of the application documents (which can be inspected on computers accessible to the public) will be available at the following libraries from 16 July to 6 September 2024.

*Please check directly with the venue listed above to confirm their opening hours, as well as any bookings or registrations that might be required to access the documents digitally through the computers available at the respective locations.

The full suite of Application documents can be made available in printed format on request at a cost of up to £10,000 to cover printing and delivery costs. Requests for alternative formats (braille, other languages, etc) will be considered on a case-by-case basis. For all document requests, please contact the Applicants using the details at the end of this notice.

Representations

Any person may register as an interested party by submitting a Relevant Representation on the Application during the representation period (26 July to 6 September 2024). Representations giving notice of any interest in or objection to the Application must be made directly to the Planning Inspectorate and be made on the Planning Inspectorate’s Registration and Relevant Representation Form.

The Registration and Relevant Representation Form is available to be completed via the Planning Inspectorate’s website for the Projects using the web address below.

https://national-infrastructure-consenting.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/EN010125

Alternatively, if you would like to request a paper copy of the Registration and Relevant Representation Form, please telephone the Planning Inspectorate on 0303 444 5000.

Completed paper forms should be sent to The Planning Inspectorate, National Infrastructure Directorate, Temple Quay House, Temple Quay, Bristol BS1 6PN.

The Planning Inspectorate reference for the Application (EN010125) should be quoted in any correspondence. The Planning Inspectorate’s Advice Note 8.2: How to register to participate in an Examination (December 2016), provides further guidance on how to register and make a relevant representation and can be accessed via the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-infrastructure-planning-advice-notes

Representations must be received by the Planning Inspectorate by 11:59pm on 6 September 2024. Please allow enough time for delivery if submitting a representation by post.

In submitting a representation, it should be noted that the personal data and correspondence relating to any representation will be made publicly available. If you do not wish personal data to be made publicly available, you should state why when submitting the representation. The Planning Inspectorate will publish the representations with your name removed, however, the representations may give them less weight during the Examination as a result. Please note that all representations submitted will be published on the Planning Inspectorate’s website and will be subject to their privacy policy, found online here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/planning-inspectorate-privacy-notices/customer-privacy-notice

To find out more about the Projects, you can visit the Applicants’ website at www.doggerbanksouth.co.uk. You can contact the Applicants directly with questions about the Projects using the contact information below:

Email: dbs@rwe.com

Telephone: 0800 254 5459

Post: FREEPOST DBSOWF