Named after the sandbank located at the southern tip of the offshore Project area, North Falls is a proposed offshore wind farm located in the southern North Sea, approximately 40 km from the East Anglia coast at its nearest point.
If consented and built, North Falls will support the UK government’s aim of 50 gigawatts of installed offshore wind capacity by 2030. This ambition is part of wider plans to decarbonise the UK’s electricity system and achieve net zero emissions.
By generating low carbon, renewable and low cost electricity in the UK, North Falls will also help to reduce the UK’s reliance on imported energy and contribute to improved energy security.
North Falls is a 50/50 joint venture between SSE Renewables and RWE Offshore Wind. It is an extension of the existing southern array of their existing joint venture – the 504-megawatt (MW), 104-turbine Greater Gabbard Offshore Wind Farm.
Image: Greater Gabbard Offshore Wind Farm. North Falls’ design may differ. Credit: SSE Renewables.
Up to 57
Wind turbine generators
~95km2
Offshore array area
Up to 2
Offshore substations
~1 GW
Generating capacity
~24km
Onshore export cables
~90m
Onshore cable route width
North Falls has accepted an offer from National Grid for an onshore grid connection in Tendring, North Essex. Approximately 24 km of onshore electricity cables are proposed to be installed underground from the Project’s landfall location near Kirby Brook to a proposed onshore substation near Ardleigh, before entering the national electricity network.
If consented and built, North Falls will generate enough low carbon electricity to power hundreds of thousands of homes for decades to come – unlocking long-term employment and economic opportunities in the process.
This video by the Planning Inspectorate explains the six stage process that applications for nationally significant infrastructure projects (as defined by the Planning Act 2008) must go through in order to receive development consent.
