UK Minister for Business, Energy and Clean Growth Anne-Marie Trevelyan (pictured) has said Vattenfall’s 1800MW Norfolk Boreas wind farm will be given a final consent decision no later than 10 December 2021.
The Planning Inspectorate has completed its examination of the project and BEIS Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng was due to take a view on the scheme in April but held off at the eleventh hour.
In a written statement to the House of Commons and House of Lords, Trevelyan said the extra time will “allow an opportunity for further information” to be presented which will facilitate a final decision.
Trevelyan said Kwarteng needs new information “in respect of cumulative impacts of the onshore substation and of offshore environmental effects to be provided and considered”.
Only consented projects may bid into UK support auctions and this year’s CfD4 allocation round is due to open in December.
Kwarteng is meanwhile progressing plans to reconsent Vattenfall’s neighbouring 1.8GW Norfolk Vanguard project.
The high court quashed the DCO for that project earlier this year on the basis the cumulative impacts of the projects’ offshore substation had not been properly assessed.
There is currently no timeline for the reconsenting of Vanguard.