In 2001 environmental studies identified areas of the outer Thames Estuary as potential sites for offshore wind farms; the Department of Trade and Industry published the paper "Future Offshore — A Strategic Framework for the Offshore Wind Industry", which identified the outer Thames Estuary as one of three potential areas for future wind farm development (Round 2 wind farms). The Crown Estate awarded a 50-year lease to "London Array Ltd" (a consortium of E.ON UK Renewables, Shell WindEnergy, and CORE Limited) in December 2003. A planning application was submitted in 2005, which was approved in December 2006. Planning permission for the onshore electricity substation was granted in November 2007.