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Press Release from Protect Coastal Sussex re a Judicial Review https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/help-stop-the-rampion2-windfarm/
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has consented Rampion 2, a vast offshore wind farm off the Sussex coast. The 1,200 MW project, backed by German energy giant RWE, will cover nearly 200km²—an area the size of Nottingham—and feature up to 90 turbines, each towering above the height of the Eiffel Tower.
While increasing renewable energy is vital, Rampion 2 raises serious concerns about how Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) are being considered in terms of legality, fairness and national security. Not only does this project threaten marine life in the Sussex Bay, including in Marine Conservation Zones, the already threatened Black Sea Bream, and the Wildlife and Countryside Act protected Short-snouted Seahorse, it also ignores legal frameworks such as the European Landscape Convention and the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act. The protections are put in place to protect our most valuable natural assets, and we need to test whether it is legal to override them in the name of ‘green energy’, seemingly at any cost.
There are a number of reasons why Rampion 2 isn’t worth the interference in Sussex:
The location has a lower wind density than the North Sea and Rampion 1 (direct neighbour) operates at now confirmed 37% efficiency. A comparative wind farm in the Dogger Bank would be 60% efficient. A better use of capital, and thus a reasonable alternative missed. The cost - £3 – 4 Billion – would be better spent building a wind farm in an area of higher wind density and without having to install a completely new cable run and substation, cutting through the South Downs National Park, protected habitats and ancient woods & hedgerows in the process.
The ecological harm is immeasurable. This inshore wind farm, not offshore as the developer has stated all along, threatens a recently regenerated kelp forest, protected species, and is surrounded by Marine Conservation Zones and Highly Protected Marine Areas. The impact of years of hammering 13.5m mono-piles has been downplayed by the applicant. Insects were not considered at all, yet they are the basis of our food production and therefore our national security.
Furthermore, the unprecedented noise levels during piling and construction will disrupt local communities and tourism for years, with no direct economic benefit.
The social, environmental and economic costs have been downplayed by the applicant as being of little impact.
To be building so many wind farms and solar farms without adequate energy storage means when the energy is not able to be used instantaneously, it will be wasted. Furthermore, if there is an overload on the grid, astronomical ‘curtailment costs’ are paid to operators to stop turbines from generating.
Protect Coastal Sussex has had consultation input in the Critical National Policy, a policy that now argues for a balanced mix of low emission generation sources, not just volatile wind and solar.
There were coastal residents and the village hosting the sub-station site who were completely unaware of these proposals, while whole communities found the main consultation to be inadequate and forced a reopening.
This project infringes on basic rights protected under international and domestic law:
Article 1 of Protocol 1 of the European Convention on Human Rights ensures the peaceful enjoyment of possessions — which includes cherished public landscapes like the South Downs.
The noise from offshore piling, and low-frequency infrasound from turbine operations, can affect people’s health and enjoyment of their homes and natural spaces.
Growing legal precedent also links the right to a healthy environment to human rights law — a right this project threatens.
Protect Coastal Sussex, Cowfold v Rampion and Middleton-Sea-Coastal Alliance are launching a Judicial Review to challenge this decision and protect our coastlines, communities, and energy future. https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/help-stop-the-rampion2-windfarm/
For more information:
https://www.protectcoastalsussex.org/
https://www.cowfoldvrampion.co.uk/
This case was reported on by the Telegraph, Unherd, The Express and others
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/04/05/miliband-plans-wind-turbines-tall-as-eiffel-tower-channel/
https://unherd.com/newsroom/rampion-2-wont-solve-britains-energy-problems/
https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/2037630/Ed-milliband-wind-farm-english-channel
Please feel free to contact the Secretary of Protect Coastal Sussex for further information on this ongoing campaign:
Secretary - secretary@protectcoastalsussex.org
www.protectcoastalsussex.org, facebook.com/protectcoastalsussex, x.com/PCS_SaveSussex
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