ScottishPower Renewables has secured the green light to boost maximum power at its East Anglia 3 offshore wind farm of Suffolk to 1400MW from 1200MW.
The developer said the change will allow it to “better position itself for future auctions, allowing for advances in technology to be taken into consideration”.
The UK Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) granted permission for the change, which is subject to further approval from UK marine authorities.
In addition to the power hike, SPR will reduce the maximum number of gravity base foundations that can be deployed at the project to 100. SPR may still use up to 172 fixed-bottom foundations at the project.
No changes to the size of turbines that may be used were made – maximum rotor diameters remain 220 metres and tip heights 247 metres.
Original consents granted in 2017 limited the upper rating of each turbine at 12MW, but this cap has now been removed.
The 2017 consent allowed SPR to build out the project as either a single 1.2GW development or two 600MW phases.
These figures will be revised to allow the developer more flexibility in the delivery of the two offshore segments, planning documents show.