The UK Secretary of State has accepted for examination Vattenfall’s application for the development consent order (DCO) for the Thanet Extension offshore wind project.
The UK Planning Inspectorate now has approximately three months to prepare for the examination, which includes appointing an examining authority for the process.
To remind, the Swedish energy company submitted the application for the DCO to the Inspectorate on 27 June, after which a 28-day review process took place.
The Secretary of State is expected to decide on the application by the middle of next year. If approved, Thanet Extension will extend the 300MW Thanet offshore wind farm.
The proposed wind farm will consist of up to 34 turbines located 8km offshore Kent, potentially doubling the output of the existing 100-turbine wind farm with more powerful machines.