The UK Government has granted development consent for the Dogger Bank South (DBS) offshore wind projects and the North Falls offshore wind farm, paving the way for an increase in offshore wind capacity.
The consent, given by Lord Whitehead on behalf of the UK Energy Secretary, covers two DBS wind farms – DBS West and DBS East – which are being developed as a joint venture (JV) between RWE (51%) and Masdar (49%).
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Each wind farm will have an installed capacity of 1.5GW, together providing a capacity of 3GW.
The DBS projects are situated in the North Sea, more than 100km off England’s north-east coast, with the output anticipated to meet the annual electricity needs of roughly three million UK households.
Approval for the DBS wind farms follows a development consent order (DCO) application submitted in June 2024.
The Planning Inspectorate reviewed more than 1,000 documents and hosted ten online examination hearings before consent was granted on 14 May 2026.
This DCO allows for the installation of up to 100 turbines at each site, along with subsea export cables delivering power to shore near Skipsea, underground cabling and new converter stations south-west of Beverley in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
The electricity will be transferred to the proposed Birkhill Wood National Grid substation near Creyke Beck, with construction roads and compounds supporting onshore and offshore works.
The projects secured contracts for difference through the UK Government’s Allocation Round 7 in January 2026.
RWE and Masdar now plan to carry out final design and procurement activities, targeting a final investment decision in 2027.
The developers say the wind farms could benefit businesses and communities across Yorkshire, the Humber and the wider UK.
In addition to the DBS announcement, the North Falls offshore wind farm received approval for its DCO.
North Falls will be developed by RWE and SSE Renewables as a JV, and will be located approximately 40km from the East Anglia Coast. It will serve as an extension to the Greater Gabbard offshore wind farm.
Approved plans include up to 57 turbines, two offshore substation platforms and supporting infrastructure.
North Falls is expected to produce around 1GW of electricity, enough to supply several hundred thousand UK homes annually. Detailed design work will continue to determine the final capacity to be installed.
Welcoming the news, RenewableUK CEO Tara Singh said: “These projects will draw in billions of pounds of private investment in vital new clean energy infrastructure and create hundreds of new jobs during their development, construction and operation, as well as fresh opportunities for UK supply chain companies.”
The government stated that these approvals contribute to a total of up to 4GW of new offshore wind capacity.
