Transmission consent granted for Morgan and Morecambe wind assets

The Department of Energy Security and Net Zero has approved development consent for the transmission infrastructure associated with the Morgan and Morecambe offshore wind farms. This authorisation encompasses the offshore export cables, onshore landfall infrastructure, onshore export cables, substations, and grid connection cables for both projects. Although the two wind farms are under different ownership, the developers submitted a joint application for these shared transmission assets. The proposed cable route extends from the Morgan site, passes the Morecambe location, and ultimately connects to the Penwortham substation in Lancashire.

The Morgan project, currently owned by EnBW and JERA Nex BP, has been shelved. The developers are now collaborating with Crown Estate Scotland to return the lease area for re-auction. Prior to the cancellation, Morgan had secured a development consent order in August 2025. The original plans involved installing 96 turbines off the Fylde coast to achieve a capacity of 1.5GW. Lancashire County Council had previously objected to the onshore cabling route, citing concerns regarding the impact on the green belt, countryside, and archaeological issues due to insufficient survey data.

In contrast, the Morecambe offshore wind farm, owned by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, received its development consent order in early December. The 480MW project, which secured its lease during the fourth offshore wind leasing round in 2021, will utilise a total of 35 turbines. The recent approval for the shared transmission assets provides the necessary infrastructure framework for the Morecambe project to proceed with its grid connection.