Consent granted to Galloper offshore wind farm

The Galloper offshore wind farm, an equal joint venture between SSE and RWE npower renewables, will be located 27km off the Suffolk coast, adjacent to the Greater Gabbard offshore wind farm, and has a potential capacity of up to 504MW.

The project could generate around £18m to £20m of investment in Suffolk and create around 600 jobs across the country.

Jim Smith, managing director, Renewables, at SSE said, ‘Greater Gabbard wind farm, which is effectively the sister project to Galloper, is already proving to be a significant operating asset which we are now confident will have a significant asset life.

‘It has already consistently achieved load factors in excess of 45 per cent and availability of around 90 per cent.

‘Despite the strength of the Galloper project, before making a final investment decision we will apply SSE’s traditional rigour in assessing the financial viability and returns from the project.

‘This will include looking for ways to further drive down the cost of offshore wind and ensuring that the correct long- term policy support mechanisms are in place and available.’