The UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) announced approval of a Development Consent Order (DCO) for transmission infrastructure—including subsea and onshore cables and substations—for the Morecambe and Morgan offshore wind farms to be built near Lancashire in northwest England. The approval is expected to advance construction of the transmission infrastructure connecting power generated at the two offshore wind farms to the national grid, according to reports.
The approved transmission infrastructure is designed to connect power generated at the Morecambe offshore wind farm (480 MW, 35 turbines) and the re-tendered Morgan offshore wind farm (1.5 GW) to the national grid via the Penwortham substation in Lancashire, according to reports. The DCO approval reportedly came approximately two years after the application was submitted in October 2024.
The Morecambe offshore wind farm is planned at 480 MW with 35 turbines, while the Morgan offshore wind farm is planned at 1.5 GW, bringing the combined capacity of the two farms to approximately 2 GW, according to reports. The transmission infrastructure is reported to include subsea cables, onshore cables, and substation construction.
The UK has reportedly pursued a goal of substantially expanding offshore wind capacity by 2030, and this transmission infrastructure DCO approval is reported to be a key procedural step toward achieving that target.
Offshore wind projects typically require separate permitting processes for onshore transmission infrastructure in addition to permits for the wind farm itself, and this transmission permitting process is reportedly often a bottleneck for overall project timelines. The fact that this approval followed roughly two years of review illustrates how much time the UK’s offshore wind permitting process can actually take. That the Morgan offshore wind farm went through a re-tender is also seen as reflecting a recent trend in the European offshore wind market, where rising costs and supply chain challenges have led developers unable to proceed under original bid terms to pursue re-tenders or contract renegotiations. Once the transmission infrastructure is completed and generation begins, it is expected to contribute to expanding the share of renewable energy supply in northwest England.
The start and completion timeline for the transmission infrastructure construction, as well as the progress of construction at the Morecambe and Morgan wind farms themselves, are items to confirm together. Also worth watching is how this approval case may influence the pace of permitting for other UK offshore wind projects going through similar transmission infrastructure approval processes.