Project overview

SSE Renewables and RWE Renewables have established a 50:50 equal joint venture company to develop the North Falls Offshore Wind Farm project, a proposed extension to the southern array of the existing Greater Gabbard Offshore Wind Farm off the coast of England in the southern North Sea.

The two world-leading offshore wind developers signed an Agreement for Lease with UK seabed managers The Crown Estate in September 2020 to extend the existing 504MW wind farm. The final capacity of the project will be determined during the development and consenting process.

SSE Renewables and RWE Renewables are co-owners of the operational Greater Gabbard wind farm, which SSE Renewables operates on behalf of the partnership.

The project is located around 40 kilometres off the UK coast and is named after the North Falls sandbank located at the southern tip of the proposed site of the wind farm. The project extension is planned for an area of seabed covering a total of 95km².

North Falls Offshore Wind Farm will comprise a number of wind turbines on fixed foundations, plus dedicated offshore and onshore electrical infrastructure.

The Agreement for Lease with The Crown Estate was granted to the joint venture under an extension's application process launched in 2017. The signing of both the joint venture agreement and the Agreement for Lease means the North Falls extension project can now begin detailed development activity including comprehensive onshore and offshore surveys and studies to inform the Environmental Assessment.

The joint venture company comprises staff from both organisations and is led by independent project director Andy Paine, who comes to the project with over 25 years of experience in the development and delivery of energy projects.

Work has included engineering design, stakeholder consultation and community engagement in preparation for the Development Consent Order application to be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate in 2024.

North Falls will build on the expertise and learnings from the original Greater Gabbard project, and other shareholder developments, to ensure best practice and to maximise the positive benefits.

Greater Gabbard

The operational 504MW Greater Gabbard Offshore Wind Farm is a 50:50 joint venture between SSE Renewables and RWE Renewables and has been in operation since 2012, generating enough low-carbon renewable energy each year to power the equivalent of over 400,000 UK homes. SSE Renewables operates the offshore wind farm of behalf of the joint venture partnership.

When originally developed it was a pioneering project for the UK offshore wind industry and for many years the existing 140-turbine site was the largest wind farm under development world-wide.

You can find out more about Greater Gabbard by clicking here.