Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company PJSC – Masdar, the UAE’s clean energy powerhouse, is part of an £11billion investment into the UK’s renewable energy sector and is purchasing a 49 percent stake in RWE’s 3 gigawatt (GW) Dogger Bank South (DBS) projects – which form one of the world’s largest planned offshore wind farms. DBS is capable of powering millions of British homes, reducing emissions and creating up to 3,000 jobs. Closing of the transaction is subject to customary approvals and expected in the first quarter of 2024.
The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the UN’s climate change conference COP28, in the UAE. The £11billion joint investment will provide a huge boost to the UK economy and demonstrates the UAE’s long-term commitment to supporting net-zero goals in Britain and around the world. It builds on the £10 billion UAE-UK Sovereign Investment Partnership (UK-UAE SIP) to invest in technology, infrastructure and the energy transition.
The 3GW DBS projects bring together global clean energy pioneers Masdar and RWE, a leading renewable energy company headquartered in Germany. The mega-facility is expected to generate enough energy to power 3 million typical UK homes. The projects are predicted to create 2,000 jobs during construction and more than 1,000 direct and indirect jobs during their operational phase.
Masdar Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, and the Chief Executive Officer of RWE, Dr Markus Krebber, signed the agreement at COP28 in Expo City Dubai, on December 1.
Located over 100 kilometers off the northeastern coast of England, the DBS offshore wind farms will be split across two sites, the DBS East Array and the DBS West Array. Each site will have the capacity for 1.5GW and span 500 square kilometers. Masdar will acquire a 49% stake in the landmark renewables project while RWE, with a 51% share, will remain in charge of development, construction and operation throughout the life cycle of the projects.
The construction phase could start as early as end 2025 and the first 800MW of electricity is planned to come online in 2029. The DBS projects are expected to be fully commissioned by end of 2031.
The deal demonstrates Masdar’s long-standing commitment to advancing offshore wind projects in the UK and Europe. A decade ago, Masdar, RWE and its partners launched the 630MW London Array wind farm, the world’s largest at the time. Today’s investment in the 3GW DBS projects – almost five times as big as London Array – shows Masdar’s steadfast expansion into the exciting offshore wind sector. Masdar has also invested in the 30MW Hywind project, which was the world’s first floating offshore wind farm, and the 402MW Dudgeon offshore wind farm. In July, Masdar invested in the 476MW Baltic Eagle offshore wind farm set to power 475,000 homes. The company’s Global Offshore Wind division is based in London and Masdar is pursuing a strategy of investing and developing projects at the early stages to further strengthen its expertise as an offshore wind developer.
Offshore wind energy could generate 380GW by 2030, provided investment is increased and permitting protocols are accelerated, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency. With the UK and Europe setting ambitious legally binding net-zero goals, Masdar will continue to harness opportunities to develop the region’s burgeoning wind energy sector.
RWE is leading the way to a green energy world. Between 2024 and 2030, RWE will invest 55 billion euros worldwide in offshore and onshore wind, solar energy, batteries, flexible generation, and hydrogen projects. By the end of the decade, the company’s green portfolio will grow to more than 65 gigawatts of generation capacity, which will be perfectly complemented by global energy trading. RWE is decarbonizing its business in line with the 1.5-degree reduction pathway and will phase out coal by 2030. RWE will be net zero by 2040.
RWE is already one of the leading companies in the field of renewable energy and offshore wind. Its unparalleled expertise over the last 20 years has resulted in 19 offshore wind farms in operation, with a goal to grow its global offshore wind capacity from 3.3GW today to 10GW in 2030.
