Morecambe Offshore Windfarm
Renewable energy is central to supporting the UK’s ambitions to lead the world in combatting climate change, reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and embracing a future where renewable energy powers our homes and businesses.
Morecambe Offshore Windfarm has a nominal capacity of 480MW. That’s enough to power over half a million households. It will also contribute to the UK Government’s commitment to deliver 43-50GW of offshore wind by 2030.
It is located approximately 30km from the Lancashire coast in the Eastern Irish Sea.
35
fixed bottom turbines
480MW
renewable energy
500,000
households
About Us
Earlier this year, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) announced an agreement to acquire the full ownership of Morecambe Offshore Windfarm from COBRA Group, and Flotation Energy.
CIP today is the world’s largest dedicated fund manager within greenfield renewable energy investments and a global leader in offshore wind. Its UK pipeline of renewable and low carbon infrastructure projects (including fixed and floating offshore wind) now stands in excess of 25GW, representing a forward investment potential of around £40bn, subject to project realisation and attrition.
Founded in 2015, Copenhagen Offshore Partners (COP) are the exclusive global offshore wind development partner to Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners. COP lead offshore wind project origination and development through construction and operations in new and established markets around the world. COP will now be leading the development and construction for the Morecambe Offshore Windfarm project and Flotation Energy will remain involved as the project’s development partner.
Flotation Energy is extremely proud of the progress the Morecambe Offshore Windfarm project has made over the last few years and look forward to working with COP as the project continues to develop and progress. As CIP continues to expand its renewable energy portfolio in the UK and globally, the acquisition of Morecambe Offshore Windfarm represents a strategic step in advancing the UK’s offshore wind capacity and accelerating the transition towards sustainable energy infrastructure.
Community
We actively engage with our local communities, local businesses, elected members, regulators and other key stakeholders to receive feedback and help shape our plans.
We’re carrying out lots of our own technical and environmental assessments; but people living near to the proposals have local knowledge which adds real value. These could include thoughts on:
- Potential environmental or community considerations
- Community benefits
- Information that could help us plan for construction
- How we can help support jobs.
We work with local media and identify multiple channels to help promote our projects and engage with as wide an audience as possible, in the planning and delivery of our programme.
Community benefits scheme
Morecambe Offshore Windfarm Limited is committed to delivering a community benefit fund in line with the Community Funds for Transmission Infrastructure guidance recently published (updated 9 April 2025) by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
The guidance sets out the Government’s recommendation for the level of funding that developers of onshore transmission infrastructure should consider for community benefit. In alignment with the guidance, we will commence engagement with key stakeholders and the community during 2026 to ensure that the community benefit scheme considers the needs of the community and supports local priorities, where possible.
Through the Development Consent Order (DCO) application process, Morecambe Offshore Windfarm Limited have identified stakeholders and communities to engage with. Local authorities, and parish, community and/or town councils are well placed to act as a first point of contact and can help to identify existing groups and networks within the community.
In the meantime, we welcome further input from the local community to help shape the community benefits scheme and encourage you to reach out to the project team via [email protected]
Indicative Timeline
- Habitats Regulations Assessment commenced by The Crown Estate
- Non-statutory engagement begins (introductory meetings and website launch)
- Expected signing of Agreement for Lease with The Crown Estate
- Grid Connection confirmed by National Grid
- Onsite environmental studies and project planning
- Non-statutory engagement to inform the Development Consent Order
- Scoping report published for generation and transmission assets
- Scoping opinion received from the Planning Inspectorate for generation and transmission assets
- Non-statutory consultation with Government, regulators, communities and interested parties (website, working groups, meetings, forums, exhibitions)
Morecambe Offshore Windfarm: Generation Assets
Morgan and Morecambe Offshore Wind Farm: Transmission Assets
- Publication of Statement of Community Consultation (SoCC) document
- Publication of Section 47 notice (a notice publicising the SoCC)
- Publication of Section 48 (duty to publicise the proposed application for development consent)
- Submitted Section 46 notice to the Planning Inspectorate (duty to notify Secretary of State of proposed application for development consent)
- Acknowledgement letter received from the Planning Inspectorate
- Publication of Preliminary Environmental Information Report
- Statutory Consultation
Morgan and Morecambe Offshore Wind Farm: Transmission Assets
- Second round of non-statutory consultation
- Consult and publicise Statement of Community Consultation (SoCC) document
- Publicise Section 47 notice (a notice publicising the SoCC)
- Publicise Section 48 (duty to publicise the proposed application for development consent)
- Submit Section 46 notice to the Planning Inspectorate (duty to notify Secretary of State of proposed application for development consent)
- Publicise Preliminary Environmental Information Report Statutory Consultation
Morecambe Offshore Windfarm: Generation Assets
- Morecambe Generation Assets - submitted application for Development Consent Order - May 2024
- Application accepted for examination – June 2024
- Pre-examination period – June to October 2024
- Relevant representation period open – July to August 2024
- Examination commenced – October 2024
- Environmental studies ongoing
- Submit application for Development Consent Order - October 2024
- Application accepted for examination - November 2024
- Pre-examination period - November 2024 to April 2025
- Relevant representation period open - December 2024 to January 2025
Morecambe Offshore Windfarm: Generation Assets
- Examination concludes - April 2025
- DCO awarded – December 2025
- Examination commenced - April 2025
- Examination concluded - October 2025
- Ground investigation and ecological surveys - July to October 2025
- Expected Final Investment Decision
- Expected DCO award - Q1/Q2 2026
- Commercial Operation Date
Environment
Delivering net zero
Climate change is one the biggest challenges the world faces. It is affecting every country and we must all play a role in helping to combat it.
In the UK, the government has committed to ambitious plans that will put the country at the forefront of the fight for a greener future. As part of these plans, we will need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. To achieve this, we will need to change how we heat our homes, power our vehicles and, importantly, how we generate our electricity.
The UK already generates around 13GW of its power from offshore wind, which is more than any other country in the world. It plays an increasingly important role in our energy mix – for a period on 29 Jan 2022, offshore wind was providing 66 per cent of our total energy output. But we need to go a lot further. To achieve our climate goals, we need to quadruple our offshore wind generation – that means having 50GW of generating capacity installed and operating by 2030.
The Morecambe project has the potential to contribute to the Net Zero targets and to play a role in decarbonisation of the UK economy. Our 480 MW project will be operational by 2029/30 – leading the way in decarbonisation of the UK economy.
Consultation process
Morecambe and Morgan are two new offshore wind farms being developed in the Irish Sea by two separate developers, each working towards a common goal of helping the UK to achieve its net zero ambitions and, specifically, of reaching offshore wind generation goals. Together the wind farms have the potential to power more than two million households with clean energy.
- Morecambe Offshore Windfarm Limited, under full ownership by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) is developing the Morecambe Offshore Windfarm. Copenhagen Offshore Partners (COP) are the exclusive global offshore wind development partner to CIP and are leading the development and construction of the Morecambe Offshore Windfarm
- Morgan Offshore Wind Limited, a joint venture between JERA Nex bp and Energie Baden-Württemberg AG (EnBW) is developing the Morgan Offshore Wind Project
The developers (detailed above) are collaborating to connect the two wind farms to the electricity transmission network.
Planning and consent
On Wednesday 23 April 2025, the examination for the Morecambe Offshore Windfarm Generation Assets DCO application concluded.
The six-month examination period included a preliminary meeting, multiple issue specific hearings and a total of eight examination deadlines. These sessions covered a wide range of issues and involved helpful discussions between representatives of Morecambe Offshore Windfarm, the Examining Authority and our stakeholders. The public, statutory consultees and interested parties were given the opportunity to give evidence to the Examining Authority.
The application for the Morecambe Offshore Windfarm Generation Assets was granted development consent by the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero on 1 December 2025.
The application for the Morgan and Morecambe Offshore Wind Farms: Transmission Assets was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate in October 2024 and the application was accepted for examination in November 2024. The Preliminary Meeting took place in April 2025 which formally started the examination process.
On Wednesday 29 October 2025, the examination for the Morgan and Morecambe Offshore Wind Farms: Transmission Assets concluded. Now that the examination has finished, the Examining Authority has three months to compile a report and make a recommendation to the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State will then have a further three months to reach a final decision on whether the project should be granted development consent. We anticipate a final decision being made on the Morgan and Morecambe Offshore Wind Farms: Transmission Assets application in April 2026.
Scoping report
A range of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) will be undertaken to assess the potential impacts to, and as a result of, the construction, operation and maintenance, and decommissioning of the windfarm and associated infrastructure.
Scoping is utilised to determine what should be covered in the environmental information to be submitted to a competent authority for projects which require an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to be undertaken.
Morecambe Offshore Windfarm requested a formal Scoping Opinion from the Planning Inspectorate in relation to the Morecambe Offshore Windfarm Generation Assets. The Scoping Report for Generation Assets was submitted on 23 June 2022. The Planning Inspectorate returned their Scoping Opinion on the 02 August.
In July 2022, the UK Government published the Pathway to 2030 Holistic Network Design documents, which set out the approach to connecting 50 GW of offshore wind to the UK electricity network (National Grid ESO, 2022). The process concluded that the Morecambe Offshore Windfarm and the Morgan Offshore Wind Project should work collaboratively in connecting the wind farms to the National Grid at Penwortham in Lancashire.
The process and decision were supported by both Morecambe Offshore Windfarm Limited and Morgan Offshore Wind Limited (the projects).
Following receipt of a Direction under Section 35 of the Planning Act 2008 from the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy; the projects submitted a Scoping Report for the Transmission Assets on the 28 October 2022 to the Planning Inspectorate. This Scoping Report comprises a shared offshore export cable corridors to landfall and shared onshore export cable corridors to onshore substation(s), and onward connection to the National Grid electricity transmission network at Penwortham, Lancashire. The Planning Inspectorate returned their Scoping Opinion on the 08 December 2022.
Surveys
Aerial surveys were initiated in April 2021 to collect offshore bird and marine mammal density data across the Morecambe Offshore Windfarm site. These surveys, undertaken by aircraft flying across the site monthly will continue during 2021 and 2022. Surveys to understand the presence of onshore overwintering birds have begun.
Additional environmental surveys are planned for 2022 both onshore and offshore to inform the project design and EIA processes. These will investigate shipping activity, seabed habitats and ecology, terrestrial ecology, onshore ground conditions, land use and a host of other aspects of the environment in which the project is situated.
Mapping of the seabed via geophysical surveys was completed for the windfarm area in October / November 2021. Geotechnical data was collected during 2022 to test the physical properties of the seabed and inform project design.
In May 2023, further geophysical surveys and shallow geotechnical surveys were undertaken within the proposed development site. The purpose of these surveys is to better understand the condition of the seabed, as we continue to develop our proposals for the offshore windfarm further.
From mid-July to late October 2023, we undertook deep-sea geotechnical surveys at different locations inside the project area, using the survey vessel, Horizon Geodiscovery.
Further geotechnical and geophysical surveys across the Morecambe windfarm site are now underway. This survey activity is due to be completed in August 2024 and is subject to weather conditions (dates may change at short notice).
Onshore ground investigations and environmental surveys continue. The purpose of the surveys is to gather the necessary data and to better understand the condition of the ground at various locations along the proposed onshore route. The results of the surveys will be used to further develop the design of the project.
News
Supply chain
A major infrastructure development like Morecambe Offshore Windfarm brings with it a wealth of opportunity for businesses of all sizes across a wide range of disciplines.
We aim to utilise as many UK based suppliers where reasonably possible during all stages of the development phase. Subject to the relevant consents and a positive Financial Investment Decision, this will ramp up significantly through to the construction phase. There will be further opportunities throughout the long-term operational phase.
