Posted on July 7, 2025
UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has officially given the green light to BP and EnBW’s Mona offshore wind project, a significant 1.5 gigawatt development set to rise off the northwest coast of England. This marks an important milestone; it’s the first project from the UK’s Round 4 leasing process to secure planning consent.
The Mona project will feature 96 turbines and had its application submitted back in late February 2024. The Planning Inspectorate began examining the case a month later, wrapping up a six-month review in January. A final recommendation was submitted to the Secretary of State in April, and approval has now been received ahead of the mid-July deadline.
Miliband said: “This government was elected to take back control of our energy – and in our first year, we have shown that the clean power revolution is here to stay.
“Whether it’s offshore wind, solar or nuclear, we are backing the builders, not the blockers, so we can deliver the clean, homegrown power this country needs to protect family finances.”
This is the 95th energy application assessed out of 159 total reviewed by the UK Planning Inspectorate so far. The agency stated it had carefully considered local input and a wide range of evidence before making its recommendation.
Among the concerns raised were wake effects on nearby wind farms, particularly from Orsted, and potential radar interference flagged by BAE Systems and the Ministry of Defence. Despite these, the project was deemed fit to proceed.
The wind farm will connect to the National Grid at the Bodelwyddan substation in north Wales. Meanwhile, BP and EnBW are also awaiting a decision for their neighbouring Morgan project, another 1.5 GW array, with a verdict expected by September 10.
Both Mona and Morgan have been subject to annual option fees of £154,000 per megawatt since January 2023, when the developers signed their Round 4 lease agreements.
BP Vice President Offshore Wind Richard Sandford said: “This is a significant step forward for the project, bringing us closer to delivering large-scale, lower carbon energy that is critical to the UK’s net zero ambitions.
“With this approval in place, our focus now turns to delivery – working with partners, supply chain and communities to help maximise the economic benefits Mona can bring to North Wales and the wider UK.”
