First Power

Five Estuaries Offshore Wind Farm is planning to achieve first power in 2030. In its October 2024 response to the Examining Authority’s written questions, the applicant explicitly states that it "intends to commence first generation in 2030", positioning the project to contribute to the UK government’s offshore wind ambitions around that date. This intent is reiterated and made more concrete in subsequent project communications. The January 2025 project newsletter presents an indicative timeline showing “2030 – First energy generation” followed by “2031 – Fully operational,” emphasising that these timings are subject to change as the project progresses but currently form the working schedule. The Spring 2025 newsletter, issued after the close of the six‑month Development Consent Order examination on 17 March 2025, confirms the same milestone: its project timeline again shows “2030 – First energy generation” and “2031 – Fully operational,” alongside expectations that construction will start in 2027 and run through to 2030. Both newsletters stress that several steps must occur before construction and first power can be realised, including securing financial investment, completing procurement and detailed design for all infrastructure, and ensuring compliance with regulatory and environmental requirements. Taken together, these official project and examination documents provide a consistent projection that initial energy export from Five Estuaries is targeted for 2030, with full operational status following in 2031, subject to consent and delivery risks.