RWE has sold its stake in the Five Estuaries offshore wind farm to EDF power solutions UK and Ireland, with EDF taking the lead on the project on behalf of the joint venture partners.
RWE held a 33.33 per cent stake in the 1.1 GW offshore wind project, with the remainder held by a Macquarie-led consortium (25 per cent), ESB (20.83 per cent) and Sumitomo Corporation (20.83 per cent).
RWE said it plans to reinvest the sale proceeds in its existing portfolio of consented offshore wind projects and would continue to support Five Estuaries in the short term to facilitate the transition to the new ownership. RWE said the project’s priority is to move from development into construction and, ultimately, operation.
According to information available on the Five Estuaries website, the developers are targeting first construction activities in 2028 and for the wind farm to be operational by the end of the decade.
Five Estuaries received development consent from the UK Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero on 17 December 2025.
Located in the southern North Sea, the project is an extension to the existing Galloper offshore wind farm and covers two seabed areas totalling about 128 square kilometres, where up to 79 wind turbines will be installed.
Under the approved plans for the offshore wind farm, electricity generated by Five Estuaries would be transmitted ashore via subsea cables to Sandy Point, located between Frinton-on-Sea and Holland-on-Sea in Essex. From there, underground cables will connect to a new substation west of Little Bromley, eventually joining the East Anglia Connection Node on the proposed National Grid’s Norwich–Tilbury transmission corridor.