Cases / Wind, hydro and other renewables · United Kingdom · 2025–2026
Developers dispute wake losses from RWE's Dogger Bank South wind farm
Short record: the main facts, with sources. A full case file has not been prepared.
Nature's voice · report
No measurement of the harm done to me here is on record.
Did nature suffer? Not measured.
Equinor and SSE claimed that RWE's Dogger Bank South wind farm would cost them 778 million dollars in lifetime losses through wake effects. The dispute shows that one wind farm can reduce the output of a neighbour downwind.
What?
Equinor and SSE dispute the wake effect of RWE's Dogger Bank South wind farm RenewEconomy
Where?
Dogger Bank, North Sea, UK waters RenewEconomy
When?
Dispute reported May 2025; EN-3 in force 6 January 2026 RenewEconomy
Who?
Gained
None on recordLost
- Equinor and SSE — Claimed 778 million dollars of lifetime losses (a claim, not a finding) RenewEconomy
Harmed
- Orsted — Estimated its own losses from Dogger Bank South at 84 to 295 million pounds Planning Inspectorate (Orsted submission)
Why?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
How?
Turbines in one wind farm reduce the output of a neighbouring farm downwind RenewEconomy
6 of 6 questions answered from the record
What happened
The record, in order.
RenewEconomy reported in May 2025 that a wake effect, the slow and turbulent air behind turbines, can cut the output of a downwind wind farm by 5 to 20 per cent and reach up to 70 kilometres.
Equinor and SSE claimed that RWE's Dogger Bank South project would cause them 778 million dollars of lifetime losses; an RWE executive said developers must live with the risk they take.
Orsted estimated its own losses from Dogger Bank South at 84 million to 295 million pounds in a planning submission.
EN-3, the national policy statement in force from 6 January 2026, says the planning system will not decide compensation for wake losses.
In court and with insurers
Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.
Lawsuits and rulings
No court case on record. No court has ruled on this case.
Insurers
No insurer decision on record.
What we don't know
Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.
Nature
- Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.
Record
- Insufficient Reported but not verified: a Bergen University study said the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea does not cover cross-border wake effects.
- Insufficient Reported but not verified: a 2012 satellite study found night temperatures over large Texas wind farms rising 0.72 degrees Celsius per decade faster than surroundings.
- None on record The sources reviewed do not say who pays compensation, or whether the cost reaches electricity consumers.
- None on record The outcome of the Equinor and SSE claim is not stated in the sources reviewed.
- None on record The 20 gigawatt figure for UK projects comes from a law-firm note with no link in the sources reviewed.
Did the harm stop?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
Who paid?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
Sources
Voices on record: ✓ Company or project— Government and regulators— Courts✓ Press and investigations— Communities and civil society— Researchers
Company or project
- Orsted IPs - Comments on any further information/ submissions received by Deadline 6.Planning Inspectorate (Orsted submission) ·
Press and investigations
- You're stealing our energy: accusations of offshore wind theft hurled across North SeaRenewEconomy · 2025-05-22
Connected cases
Related matters, and cases linked to this one through the same organisations, with the role each played in both.
- Offshore wind wake effect disputes (Ørsted, UK and Germany) United Kingdom · 2020–2026
- RWE (Company) — here: Developer of Dogger Bank South, disputed by Equinor and SSE; there: Developer of Dogger Bank South
- Equinor (Company) — here: Claimed 778 million dollars of lifetime losses from Dogger Bank South; there: Claimant over Dogger Bank South wake losses
- SSE (Company) — here: Co-claimant in the wake-loss claim against Dogger Bank South; there: Claimant over Dogger Bank South wake losses
- Ørsted (Company) — here: Estimated its own losses from Dogger Bank South at 84 to 295 million pounds; there: Operator of existing UK offshore wind farms
- Germany agreed €2.6bn and €1.75bn coal exit payments to RWE and LEAG Germany · 2019–2023
- RWE (Company) — here: Developer of Dogger Bank South, disputed by Equinor and SSE; there: recipient of early-closure compensation
- Germany brings coal exit forward to 2030 as Lützerath is demolished Germany · 2023
- RWE (Company) — here: Developer of Dogger Bank South, disputed by Equinor and SSE; there: Mining company; recipient of state payment for early coal exit
- Germany pays 317 million euros in premiums to 11 coal plants, including Moorburg Germany · 2015–2020
- RWE (Company) — here: Developer of Dogger Bank South, disputed by Equinor and SSE; there: Operator that received 216 million euros
- Lliuya v RWE Peru · 2025
- RWE (Company) — here: Developer of Dogger Bank South, disputed by Equinor and SSE; there: Defendant; recipient of coal-exit compensation
- Norway Longship and Northern Lights CCS; Sleipner Norway · 1991–2025
- Equinor (Company) — here: Claimed 778 million dollars of lifetime losses from Dogger Bank South; there: Northern Lights partner; former Statoil
- Norway's Økokrim fines Equinor over Mongstad refinery spills and emissions Norway · 2016–2021
- Equinor (Company) — here: Claimed 778 million dollars of lifetime losses from Dogger Bank South; there: company fined over Mongstad refinery
- RWE drops 1.4 billion euro claim over Dutch coal ban; Hemweg-8 closure announced Netherlands · 2019–2023
- RWE (Company) — here: Developer of Dogger Bank South, disputed by Equinor and SSE; there: Filed the Dutch treaty claim and received German lignite exit compensation
- RWE sought €1.4bn from the Netherlands over its coal phase-out Netherlands · 2019–2023
- RWE (Company) — here: Developer of Dogger Bank South, disputed by Equinor and SSE; there: claimant against the Netherlands; compensation recipient
- UK agreed up to £21.7bn over 25 years for two CCS clusters United Kingdom · 2024
- Equinor (Company) — here: Claimed 778 million dollars of lifetime losses from Dogger Bank South; there: named as a leading company behind the clusters
- US orders stop to Ørsted's Revolution Wind; court allows restart United States · 2025–2026
- Ørsted (Company) — here: Estimated its own losses from Dogger Bank South at 84 to 295 million pounds; there: developer and owner