The UK government has granted development consent for the transmission infrastructure needed to connect the Morgan Offshore Wind Project and Morecambe Offshore Windfarm to the electricity grid.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero issued the Development Consent Order (DCO) on 14 September, following a six-month examination of the application by the Planning Inspectorate.
The transmission project covers the infrastructure required to bring electricity generated offshore to the existing transmission network. This includes offshore export cables, landfall infrastructure, onshore export cables, substations, grid connection cables and circuit-breaker compounds, together with associated onshore works.
Morgan Offshore Wind Limited and Morecambe Offshore Windfarm Limited submitted the application in October 2024. It was accepted for examination in November that year, with the Examining Authority submitting its recommendations to the Secretary of State in January 2026.
The decision clears a key consenting stage for the transmission infrastructure associated with the two proposed offshore wind developments in the Irish Sea. The projects will require offshore and onshore electrical infrastructure to transport their generation to consumers.
The Planning Inspectorate said the examination was completed within the statutory timetable established under the Planning Act 2008. Local authorities, statutory consultees, local communities and other interested parties were able to submit evidence and representations during the process.
The Morgan and Morecambe transmission application is the 113th energy infrastructure application to have completed examination through the Planning Inspectorate, out of 181 applications examined to date.
The DCO decision and the Examining Authority’s recommendation are now publicly available through the National Infrastructure Planning system.
The consent concerns the transmission assets rather than the offshore wind generation projects themselves. Development of the wider wind farms will therefore continue through their respective project and regulatory processes.
The approval nevertheless removes a significant planning hurdle for the shared transmission infrastructure, allowing subsequent project development to proceed against an established consenting framework for the export cables, landfall and grid connection facilities.
