On 15 September, Rampion 2 hosted seven West Sussex Councillors to a highly informative, close-up visit to Sussex’s operational Rampion Offshore Wind Farm, where they were able to learn more about wind power and the plans to extend the project.
Each of the councillors represented communities that will host part of the proposed onshore cable route or substation for the Rampion 2 Offshore Wind Farm, a consented extension to Rampion which, when fully operational, is expected to generate enough clean power for over 1 million typical UK homes1.
Once built, Rampion 2 could generate the equivalent of around three-quarters of all the electricity demands for the whole of Sussex2 to play a key role in securing the UK’s energy supplies and reduce carbon emissions by around 1.8 million tonnes3 per year.
The visit was hosted by the project team leading the development of Rampion 2; they were joined by Cllrs Llyn Lambert, Phillip Circus and Alan Manton from Horsham District Council, Cllrs Malcolm Avery and Jim Knight from Mid Sussex District Council, Cllr Freddie Tandy from Arun District Council and Cllr Roger Noel from West Sussex County Council. In full safety kit, the group headed out on a breezy morning in rolling waves to sail eight miles offshore around Rampion to see the offshore substation and wind turbines up close.
“We were delighted to host our local councillors and give them an operational insight into the original and very successful Rampion Wind Farm, and we hope to be able to extend the opportunity to a greater number of councillors next summer,” said Chris Tomlinson, RWE’s Rampion 2 Stakeholder Manager, who hosted the trip.
“The level of interest and wide range of questions we received was most valuable and it was a fantastic opportunity to answer questions about Rampion 2 which, when combined with the operating Rampion Wind Farm, could power the entire electricity demand for the whole of Sussex.”
The offshore visit was the latest in a series of outreach work, which saw Rampion 2 support the Cowfold Village Fete and Littlehampton Harbour Waterfront Festival over the summer, where the team engaged with local communities at both ends of the proposed onshore cable route.
Tomlinson continued: “It was a privilege to support two vibrant community festivals, where there was clear excitement among those taking a virtual tour of the Rampion Wind Farm using our headsets. We also spoke to many hundreds of festival goers about Rampion 2 and answered their questions. We would like to thank the festival organisers and all those in the local community for taking part in these valued events.”
Rampion 2 is being developed by RWE, one of the UK’s most established and experienced renewable energy producers and a global leader in offshore wind. RWE is developing the project on behalf of a joint venture company which includes a Macquarie-led consortium, a subsidiary of Enbridge Inc. (a leading North American energy infrastructure company) and RWE.