RWE buys E.ON stake in Rampion offshore wind farm to become majority shareholder

German power producer RWE has bought utility E.ON’s 20% stake in the Rampion offshore wind farm in the UK for an undisclosed price.

The acquisition brought RWE’s share in the 400MW array off the coast of Sussex in the English Channel to a majority stake of 50.1% (E.ON in 2019 had already transferred a 30.1% stake in Rampion to RWE). The wind farm is already operated by RWE Renewables.

The remaining 49.9% stake in Rampion is held by a Macquarie-led consortium (25%) and Canadian energy company Enbridge (24.9%).

Rampion was fully commissioned in April 2018.

The UK is key to RWE’s strategy to grow its renewable energy business and remain one of the world’s top operators of offshore wind.

The company is currently building the 857MW Triton Knoll offshore wind project in the North Sea, which fed first power into the UK grid last week and is expected to be fully commissioned next year.

RWE is also developing the giant 1.4GW Sofia wind project at the Dogger Bank area in the UK part of the North Sea.

The company also was successful with bids for two new offshore sites with a potential for 3GW in installed capacity at the UK’s latest Round 4 leasing auction.