News From Four Big Projects On The 15th May 2026
Are things hotting up in the offshore wind business in the UK? Or is it just a coincidence?
But these four projects were all announced on the 15th May 2026.
Aberdeenshire Council Greenlights Onshore Plans For 1 GW Scottish Floating Wind Project
The Buchan Offshore Wind consortium, comprising BayWa r.e., Elicio, and BW Ideol, has received planning consent from Aberdeenshire Council for the onshore infrastructure that will connect the proposed 1 GW Buchan floating wind farm to the grid. Commissioning in 2033.
Ocean Winds Receives Full Onshore Planning Consent for 2 GW Caledonia Offshore Wind Farm
Ocean Winds, a 50-50 joint venture owned by EDP Renewables and ENGIE, has received full onshore planning consent for its 2 GW Caledonia offshore wind farm following approval by Aberdeenshire Council’s Infrastructure Services Committee on 14 May. Commissioning in 2032.
UK Grants Development Consent For 3 GW Dogger Bank South Offshore Wind Project.
The UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has granted development consent for two Dogger Bank South (DBS) offshore wind farms, Dogger Bank South West and Dogger Bank South East, which are planned to have a combined installed capacity of 3 GW. Commissioning in 2031 (DBS West) and 2032 (DBS East).
RWE and SSE Secure Consent For 1 GW North Falls Offshore Wind Farm
The North Falls Offshore Wind Farm joint venture between RWE and SSE Renewables has been granted development consent for its 1 GW project by the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DSNEZ). Commissioning in 2030.
It looks like another 7 GW of onshore wind is on its way! The commissioning dates are my best estimates based on past history.
UK Offshore Wind In 2030 – Calculated June 2026
The next general election is likely to be held in 2029, so how much wind energy will be added before the next Parliament?
The Current Position
The Wikipedia entry for the list of operational wind farms in the UK, says this.
In July 2025, there were offshore wind farms consisting of 2,809 turbines with a combined capacity of 16,035 megawatts.
Due To Be Commissioned In 2026
It would appear these wind farms will come on-line in 2026.
- Dogger Bank A – 1235 MW – Fixed
- Sofia – 1400 MW – Fixed
This would add 2 wind farms and 2635 MW to give a total of 18,670 MW.
Due To Be Commissioned In 2027
It would appear these wind farms will come on-line in 2027.
- Dogger Bank B – 1235 MW – Fixed
- Dogger Bank C – 1218 MW – Fixed
- East Anglia 1 North – 800 MW – Fixed
- East Anglia 2 – 900 MW – Fixed
- East Anglia 3 – 1372 MW – Fixed
- Hornsea 3 – 2852 MW – Fixed
- Inch Cape – 1080 MW – Fixed
- Llŷr 1 – 100 MW – Floating
- Llŷr 2 – 100 MW – Floating
- Norfolk Boreas – 1380 MW – Fixed
- Pentland – 100 MW – Floating
- Whitecross – 100 MW – Floating
This would add 12 wind farms and 11237 MW to give a total of 29,907 MW.
Due To Be Commissioned In 2028
It would appear these wind farms will come on-line in 2028.
- Morecambe – 480 MW – Fixed
This would add 1 wind farm and 480 MW to give a total of 30,387 MW.
Due To Be Commissioned In 2029
It would appear these wind farms will come on-line in 2029.
- Mona – 1500 MW -Fixed
- West Of Orkney – 2000 MW – Fixed
This would add 2 wind farms and 3500 MW to give a total of 33,887 MW.
Due To Be Commissioned In 2030
It would appear these wind farms will come on-line in 2030.
- Ramplion 2 Extension – 1200 MW – Fixed
- Norfolk Vanguard East – 1380 MW – Fixed
- Norfolk Vanguard West – 1380 MW – Fixed
- Awel y Môr – 1100 MW – Fixed
- Berwick Bank – 4100 MW – Fixed
- Outer Dowsing – 1500 MW – Fixed
- Caledonia – 2000 MW – Fixed
- N3 Project – 495 MW – Fixed/Floating
- North Falls – 504 MW – Fixed
This would add 9 wind farms and 13,659 MW to give a total of 47,656 MW.
Due To Be Commissioned In 2031
It would appear these wind farms will come on-line in 2031.
- Awel y Môr – 775 MW – Fixed
- Berwick Bank – 1380 MW – Fixed
- Dogger Bank SW – 1500 MW – Fixed
- Morven Phase 1 – 1500 MW – Fixed
- Spiorad na Mara – 840 MW – Mixed
This would add 5 wind farms and 5,995 MW to give a total of 53,651 MW.
Due To Be Commissioned In 2032
It would appear these wind farms will come on-line in 2032.
- Caledonia – 2000 MW – Fixed
- Dogger Bank SE – 1500 MW – Fixed
- Seagreen Phase 1A – 500 MW – Fixed
This would add 3 wind farms and 4,000 MW to give a total of 57,651 MW.
Due To Be Commissioned In 2033
It would appear these wind farms will come on-line in 2033.
- Ayre 1008 MW – Fixed
- Bowdun – 1008 MW – Fixed
- Buchan – 960 MW – Floating
- Morven Phase 2 – 1500 MW – Fixed
This would add 4 wind farms and 4,476 MW to give a total of 62,017 MW.
Due To Be Commissioned In 2035
It would appear these wind farms will come on-line in 2035.
- Dogger Bank D – 1320 MW – Fixed
- Mooir Vannin – 1400 MW -Fixed
This would add 2 wind farms and 2,720 MW to give a total of 64,737 MW.
Due To Be Commissioned In 2036
It would appear these wind farms will come on-line in 2036.
- Havbredey – 1,500 MW – Fixed
This would add 1 wind farm and 1,500 MW to give a total of 66,347 MW.
Capacity Summary
- 2025 – None – 16,035 MW
- 2026 – 2635 MW – 18,670 MW
- 2027 – 11237 MW – 29,907 MW
- 2028 – 480 MW – 30,387 MW
- 2029 – 3500 MW – 33,887 MW
- 2030 – 13,659 MW – 47.656 MW
- 2031 – 5,995 MW – 53,651 MW
- 2032 – 4,000 MW – 57,651 MW
- 2033 – 4,476 MW – 62,127 MW
- 2034 – None – 62,127 MW
- 2035 – 2,720 MW – 64,847 MW
- 2036 – 1,500 MW – 66,347 MW
Note.
- The first figure is my estimate of what will be added in the year.
- The second figure is my estimate of what will be the total at the end of the year.
- Currently, we’re generating and importing a total of 29.33 GW.
We’re still be adding capacity into the 2030s.
The Average Size Of A Wind Farm
This is 1.26 GW.
Metocean, Wind Measurement Campaigns Starting At Two More ScotWind Sites
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
The Caledonia Wind Farm
Another of the ScotWind wind farms, that I described in ScotWind Offshore Wind Leasing Delivers Major Boost To Scotland’s Net Zero Aspirations, has been given a name and a web site.
This map shows the various ScotWind leases.
Note, that the numbers are Scotwind’s lease number in their documents.
9 is now Caledonia.
- It has grown from a 1,000 MW fixed foundation wind farm and is now 2,000 MW.
- A completion date of 2030 is now given.
The wind farm will be the fourth development in the area, after the 598 MW Beatrice, the 950 MW Moray East and the 882 MW Moray West wind farms. That is a total of nearly 4,500 MW.
Caledonia’s Unique Advantages
On the About Caledonia page on the Caledonia Wind Farm web site, there is a section called Caledonia’s Unique Advantages, which has four sections.
Water Depths
Caledonia’s water depths are 40 to 100 m. Three-quarters of the site is at depths that allow for fixed (rather than floating) foundations.
This means the majority of the site can be built using the same type of jacket foundations which Ocean Winds optimised at Moray East, seeing Caledonia implement a proven, low-risk, low-cost engineering solution.
Wind
The wind resource at Caledonia is proven through the experience of previous projects and is of a magnitude more usually associated with deeper waters, further from shore. This means Caledonia will benefit from an excellent wind resource, yielding a higher output at lower costs.
Distance from Shore
Caledonia is around 40km from shore and 70km from the nearest National Grid connection point. Beyond distances of approx 120km, DC technology becomes a necessity for subsea transmission. This means the additional costs associated with installing AC-DC convertors offshore and DC-AC convertors onshore can be avoided and the onshore substation will be smaller so will require less land and have a lesser impact on the surrounding environment.
Environment
The Moray Firth is the home of commercial-scale offshore wind generation in Scotland. Caledonia neighbours the Moray East, Moray West, and Beatrice sites, and Ocean Winds have had a presence here from the beginning of the area’s offshore wind development.
Conclusion
It does appear that if you do your planning well on projects like these, there are benefits to be reaped in terms of size, construction, capacity and financial returns.
The Anonymous Widower 