Britain’s energy secretary Ed Miliband has postponed a decision on whether to grant consent for the 1 gigawatt North Falls offshore wind project being developed by RWE and SSE off the east coast of England, the government said.
A final ruling on the project’s Development Consent Order, originally due by Jan. 28, has been reset to April 28 to allow time for additional information to be requested and consulted on, energy minister Martin McCluskey told parliament on Wednesday.
McCluskey said the delay was necessary to consider material that was not provided during the project’s examination phase.
The North Falls scheme comprises 57 turbines and is one of several large offshore wind projects awaiting approval as Britain seeks to expand renewable generation to meet climate and energy security targets.
The decision marks the second offshore wind consent delay announced this month. On Jan. 7, Miliband pushed back the deadline for a ruling on the proposed 3 GW Dogger Bank South project, being developed by RWE and Abu Dhabi-based Masdar, from Jan. 10 to April 30.
A spokesperson for RWE said the developers would continue to engage with authorities. “North Falls will continue to work closely with the Planning Inspectorate, Secretary of State and other key stakeholders to submit the information requested ahead of the new decision deadline of 28 April 2026,” the spokesperson said.
Britain is targeting a major expansion of offshore wind capacity as part of its plans to decarbonise the power sector and reduce reliance on fossil fuels, but several projects have faced regulatory and cost-related challenges in recent years.
