Gunfleet Sands offshore wind farm

Gunfleet Sands Offshore Wind Scheme is a 108 MW offshore wind farm with 30 turbines in English waters. Its status in the Renewable Energy Planning Database (July 2026 extract) is: operational since 24 July 2009; the record was last updated on 1 May 2018. Its REPD grid reference is 7 km from the nearest postcode on land (CO15 1QX, Tendring). It was consented under Section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 by the Secretary of State for energy (REPD: DECC, the energy department at the time).

How it works ↓

Data: REPD July 2026 extract · calculated 7 November 2026 · Methodology and sources

108 MWoffshore wind farm

operationalstatus in REPD

1 May 2018record last updated

7 km from land (Tendring)REPD location

Consent timeline

Date	Stage
1 March 2002	Application submitted
1 March 2004	Section 36 consent granted (Secretary of State)
1 April 2009	Construction started
24 July 2009	Operational

Project details

Technology: offshore wind farm
Capacity: 108 MW
Turbines: 30
Turbine capacity: 3.6 MW
Status (REPD): operational
Record last updated: 1 May 2018
Operator or applicant: Orsted (formerly Dong Energy)
Consenting authority (REPD): DECC (S36)
Application reference: not recorded
Nearest postcode on land: CO15 1QX (Tendring), 7.3 km from the REPD grid reference
Time to decision: 104 weeks
REPD reference: 2490

Who decides

It was consented under Section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 by the Secretary of State for energy (REPD: DECC, the energy department at the time).

Postcode districts within 40 km

District	km
Clacton-on-Sea (CO15)	8.5
Clacton-on-Sea (CO16)	12.1
Frinton-on-Sea (CO13)	12.1
Walton on the Naze (CO14)	13.7
Colchester (CO7)	22.3
Harwich (CO12)	22.4
Manningtree (CO11)	25.4
Colchester (CO2)	27.1
Burnham-on-Crouch (CM0)	27.6
Felixstowe (IP11)	27.7
Colchester (CO1)	27.9
Colchester (CO4)	28.6

Straight-line distance from the centre of each postcode district to the REPD grid reference of the wind farm, which is a single point for the whole site.

Other offshore wind projects within 30 km

Project	MW	Status	km
Gunfleet Sands II	64.8	operational	2.0
Gunfleet Sands - (Demo) Extension	12	operational	3.6
London Array Phase 1	630	operational	22.7
Five Estuaries Wind Farm	1,080	approved, not built	27.5

All offshore wind farms in UK waters

Status and dates as recorded in the Renewable Energy Planning Database (July 2026 extract); the database can lag behind consent decisions. Location: REPD grid reference (51.7308, 1.218).

Gunfleet Sands is one of the operational offshore wind farms closest to shore: in a straight line from its point in the REPD, it is 7 km to the nearest postcode in Tendring, 8.5 km to the CO15 (Clacton-on-Sea) postcode district, and 12.1 km to CO16 and CO13 alike. It has 30 turbines of 3.6 MW each, 108 MW in total; the operator is Orsted (formerly Dong Energy).

The application was submitted on 1 March 2002, and exactly two years later, on 1 March 2004, the minister granted consent under Section 36; the authority is recorded in the database as DECC. The wait took 104 weeks. Another five years passed before construction started: work began on 1 April 2009, and already on 24 July 2009 the wind farm was feeding power into the grid.

What's nearby

Closest of all are Gunfleet Sands II at 64.8 MW and the demonstration extension at 12 MW, 2 km and 3.6 km away, both operational. Further out is London Array Phase 1 at 630 MW, while Five Estuaries at 1,080 MW is approved, not built. The Gunfleet Sands record was last updated on 1 May 2018, and the stages shown come from the July 2026 extract.