RWE has accused the UK Planning Inspectorate of “undermining the integrity” of the consenting process by giving consultees including Natural England a say in when the stalled DCO application for the 3GW Dogger Bank South wind farm off east England can be re-started.
The German utility said resuming the six-month examination would “ordinarily be a decision for the examining authority” now that it has received updated ornithological and environmental mitigation proposals requested from the developer when a preliminary meeting was adjourned in late October.
However, RWE believes planners have placed “undue reliance” on the views of stakeholders by asking them to comment on the adequacy of the revised information before a redrafted examination timetable is published later this month.
It added: “The procedural decisions have given the appearance of an implicit assumption that Natural England’s positions are necessarily correct. In our view, the examining authority’s approach appears to have placed undue reliance on the views of Natural England and other interested parties in relation to the start of the examination, which has in turn placed undue pressure on RWE in our responses to Natural England and others, given the continuing threat of delay to the start of the examination.
“This is having the effect of undermining the integrity of the overall process.”
RWE said it did not understand why it was being “treated so differently” from other offshore wind DCO applicants and has asked for the examination to be re-commenced as soon as possible.