£1.3bn wind farm to be built off Sussex next year

Offshore construction of the first offshore wind farm off the south coast of England is due to begin next year, energy firm E.ON said.

The £1.3bn project will consist of 116 turbines producing enough electricity to power 300,000 households. The farm is expected to create up to 450 jobs between now and then and could cut C02 emissions by up to 600,000 tonnes a year. Energy and Climate Change Secretary Amber Rudd said:

“This huge investment is a vote of confidence in the UK, creating local jobs, bringing business opportunities and providing clean, home-grown energy.”

Completed by 2018

In a statement announcing its plans, energy firm E.ON said onshore construction of the substation at Twineham, near Haywards Heath, will start next month, followed by preparations for the onshore cable route. Work on the Rampion farm will begin early 2016 and should be completed by 2018.

UK chief executive Tony Cocker said today marked an “an important milestone for what is a strategically-important project for the UK.”

Shaun Kingsbury, chief executive of E.ON’s project partner, the UK Green Investment Bank, said:

“Our investment gives the developer the confidence to begin construction on this important wind project, boosting UK energy supply and generating enough power annually for around 300,000 homes.”