Energy giant RWE has said it is disappointed by the UK government’s sudden decision to delay a consent order for the 3GW Dogger Bank South offshore wind farms.
The wind farm is comprised of two developments – East and West – and is not part of the world’s largest project, Dogger Bank, which is made up of three sites (A, B and C) and is jointly owned by SSE Renewables, Equinor, and Vårgrønn. Only A is operational, with B and C still under construction.
The original deadline for a decision to be made on Dogger Bank South was January 10, but this has now been extended to April 30, ‘to allow time to request further information that was not provided for consideration during the examination period and to give all interested parties the opportunity to review and comment on such information’, minister for Energy Consumers Martin McCluskey, under the Department for Energy and Net Zero (DESNZ), said in a written statement to the UK Parliament.
“Whilst it is not my preference to extend, I am clear that applications for consent for energy projects submitted under the Planning Act 2008 must meet the necessary standards,” he said, without giving any further details.
“We’ve already provided extensive information on the issues during the examination process and subsequently during the recommendation and determination phases of the DCO (Development Consent order) process, as required,” said a spokesman for RWE.
“At this stage we have no further indication as to what additional information Government may require to enable a formal decision, so we await further clarity.
“The partners will continue to work with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and relevant stakeholders to provide any information required to progress the projects, which have the potential to power around three million homes and support thousands of jobs. We remain committed to supporting the energy transformation in the UK.”
