Draft: Supplementary guidance for renewable energy infrastructure (EN-3): Offshore wind wake effects (accessible webpage)
Updated 13 November 2025
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Introduction
1.1 This document is intended as an accompaniment to the 2025 National Policy Statement for Renewable Energy Infrastructure (EN-3), which includes new guidance on offshore wind wake effects. The purpose of this document is to clarify the guidance and should be interpreted only as a supplement to the 2025 NPS (EN-3).
2025 NPS (EN-3)
1.2 Paragraph 2.8.176
Applicants of proposed offshore wind farms are encouraged to adopt a good neighbour approach, with constructive dialogue between developers. As part of this, developers of incoming offshore wind farms are strongly encouraged to conduct a wake assessment to understand the impact of their development on nearby offshore windfarms.
1.3 Paragraph 2.8.232
This section encourages developers to have made ‘reasonable endeavours’ to mitigate the impact of wake effects. In practice, this means developers do not have to take every possible course of action to mitigate the impact of wake effects but should demonstrate reasonable efforts at mitigation, including evidencing their rationale for why they have or have not, on balance, decided to implement mitigations.
1.4 Paragraph 2.8.233
This section clarifies the role of the planning system where wake effects are raised. Disputes around compensation for wake effects are regarded to be a commercial matter to be managed between disputing developers. The planning system will not adjudicate on matters of compensation for wake loss.
1.5 Paragraph 2.8.316
This section is intended to help reduce the chances of delays to new offshore wind farms by explaining how wake effects will be considered as a planning application progresses. If developers meet the principles set out within the previous paragraphs wake effects will likely carry lower weight against a project being consented in planning decisions.