Plans to expand a windfarm off the Sussex coast have been given the green light by government.

The Rampion 2 Offshore Wind Farm has been granted a Development Consent Order (DCO) by energy secretary Ed Miliband.

Development of the project, an extension to the existing Rampion Offshore Wind Farm nearby, is being led by global renewables company RWE, on behalf of joint venture partners, a Macquarie-led consortium and a subsidiary of Enbridge Inc., a North American energy infrastructure company.

Once fully operational, Rampion 2 would be capable of powering the equivalent of more than one million UK homes.

Rampion 2 is planned to comprise up to 90 wind turbines and foundations off the coast of Sussex.

Subsea cables will bring the power to shore under Climping Beach. An underground cable route will take the power to a new substation at Oakendene near Cowfold, before finally connecting into the transmission network at Bolney, Mid Sussex.

The existing Rampion Offshore Wind Farm comprises 116 turbines on a 70sq km site located between 13 and 20km off the Sussex coast in the English Channel.

Danielle Lane, RWE director of offshore wind development UK and Ireland: “This is a key milestone in the development of the project, as Rampion 2 can play an important role in helping secure the UK’s energy supplies from our abundant wind resource and play a key role in supporting the UK government’s clean power ambitions.”

A key milestone will be the Financial Investment Decision (FID) by the joint venture partners, after which construction would be able to start.

The wind farm is expected to be operational by the end of the decade.