Equinor has made the decision to extend the pre-application period for the Sheringham Shoal and Dudgeon (SEP and DEP) offshore wind farm extension projects in order to have time for further analysis and to further develop the proposals.

The developer said it has made the decision to carry out additional analysis on seabird species and develop more proposals, should environmental mitigation and ornithology compensatory measures be required in accordance with the new requirements of the Ministry of Energy Affairs and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

The developer originally planned to submit the Development Consent Order (DCO) request by the end of 2021, but now intends to submit its submission to the Planning Inspectorate by the end of 2021. early summer 2022.

SEP and DEP will double the capacity of the existing Sheringham Shoal and Dudgeon offshore wind farms off the Norfolk coast.

Kari-Hege Mork, Equinor SEP and DEP Project Director, said: “Throughout the development of the wind farms, we have presented technical and environmental information as plans have been refined and been in close dialogue with key stakeholders such as statutory nature conservation bodies, as well as the local community and interested parties.

“We would like to thank everyone who took the time to respond to our consultations, we greatly appreciate your time.

Mork said Equinor is confident the extra time will allow him to accommodate in-depth comments on our proposals.

“It also gives us more time to engage with the local community and now that the restrictions have been lifted we intend to use that time to visit the communities in person. “

SEP and DEP are classified as Infrastructure Projects of National Importance (NSIP), which means that Equinor will apply for a DCO from the Secretary of State for BEIS.

Equinor and its partners seek to minimize potential impacts on the community and the environment by providing a shared terrestrial grid connection footprint for both projects and requesting a common DCO.

This is a first in the industry; two separately owned projects have never submitted a joint DCO application before, and it is hoped that this joint approach will pave the way for other coordinated projects in the UK.