The story so far
The DBS Offshore Wind Farms have been through a detailed development phase starting in 2021 resulting in the final design which you can view using our interactive map.
Offshore, the wind farms would have the following components:
- Up to 100 wind turbines each for DBS East and DBS West;
- Up to eight offshore platforms including collector platforms, offshore converter platforms, an accommodation platform and an electrical switching platform;
- Foundation structures for the turbines and platforms;
- Scour protection (where required) to prevent erosion of sediment around the foundations; and
- Subsea cables and cable protection as required.
Onshore, the projects’ components would include:
- A landfall area with transition joint bays to connect the onshore and offshore cables;
- Onshore export cables to take the power from the landfall point to the onshore converter stations;
- Up to two onshore converter stations; and
- A cable to connect the converter stations to the proposed Birkhill Wood National Grid Substation so that the electricity can be sent to homes and businesses;
- During construction, we would also have some temporary construction compounds and access points to facilitate the construction and plan to use a horizontal direction drill at specific locations. This drill will enable the cables to pass beneath features, such as rivers, roads or hedgerows without disruption them at the surface.
You can read more about the projects and the assessments that have taken place during development in the Non-Technical Summary.
View Non-technical summary Current status
Proposed infrastructure for the DBS projects.
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Illustrative section and plan of intertidal and landfall works. All infrastructure at the landfall point will be underground.
Timeline
2021
- Offshore and onshore surveys began.
2023
- RWE entered into Agreements for Lease for the offshore array areas with The Crown Estate.
- Preliminary Environmental Impact Reports (PEIR) published.
- Statutory Consultation held between 06 June and 17 July 2023. Find out more about the consultation.
2022
- Scoping Report submitted to the Planning Inspectorate.
- Scoping Opinion issued by the Planning Inspectorate.
- Introductory consultation.
2024
- Masdar became a project partner.
- Development Consent Order submitted and accepted.
Consultation and engagement
We started our engagement in 2021, largely with technical and local authorities, broadening it out to landowners and the wider community in 2022. Engagement activities included expert topic groups, meetings, letters, and a period of non-statutory consultation between 09 September 2022 and 14 October 2022 which involved four public events.
The Statutory Consultation took place between 06 June and 17 July 2023 and focussed on the content of our Preliminary Environmental Information Report. During this period, we held a series of public in-person events plus online events. Feedback received from stakeholders resulted in changes to the projects which are summarised in our Winter 2023 Newsletter. A detailed breakdown of all consultation responses and how they have been considered is available as part of the Development Consent Order application.
Stakeholder feedback was combined with the results of detailed environmental surveys and engineering assessments to achieve the final design of the projects as set out in the Project Description Chapter of our Environmental Statement in the DCO application. You can also view project plans using our interactive map.
Current statusWhy offshore wind?
UK Government policy
In April 2022, the UK Government published the British Energy Security Strategy (BEIS and Prime Minister's Office, 2022) outlining its ambition to deliver up to 50GW of offshore wind by 2030. DBS will make a significant contribution to the UK's aim of reducing carbon emissions and achieving this target. Based on an estimated combined capacity of 3GW, the DBS projects could be capable of generating enough electricity to meet the average annual domestic electricity needs of around 3 million typical UK homes.*
DBS has a vital role to play in the fight against climate change. Reducing greenhouse gases is key, however, the onus is also on us, the developers, to ensure the new offshore wind farms are built responsibly and sustainably, using the most efficient technology.
East Riding of Yorkshire Council
Locally, the East Riding of Yorkshire Council identified the Humber Region as a flagship for wind power in its Climate Change Strategy (East Riding of Yorkshire Council, 2022). The strategy supports the development of wind power projects and highlights a need to “plan energy infrastructure developments efficiently.”
*Calculation based on 2021 generation, and assuming average (mean) annual household consumption of 3,509 kWh, based on latest statistics from Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (Subnational Electricity and Gas Consumption Statistics Regional and Local Authority, Great Britain, 2021, Mean domestic electricity consumption (kWh per meter) by country/region, Great Britain, 2021.
Energy security
The British Energy Security Strategy Policy Paper (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street and Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, 2022) highlights the need to address our underlying vulnerability to international oil and gas prices by reducing dependence on imported oil and gas. This transition is largely based on the delivery of renewable energy projects to reduce exposure to volatile fossil fuel markets.
DBS will help by generating clean, sustainable, and secure energy from within the UK, helping to meet the UK’s growing demand for energy while making a significant contribution to the Government’s ambition to deliver up to 50GW of offshore wind by 2030.
Other pages you might be interested in
Current status
Learn more about the stages of examination that DBS will go through
About RWE and Masdar
In February 2024, RWE and Masdar joined forces to deliver DBS.
Keep in touch
Get in touch and ask questions with our project team