The Secretary of State for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has delayed making a final consent decision for Hornsea 4 offshore wind farm.

The UK’s Planning Inspectorate said the deadline for the decision on the application of Orsted’s 2.6GW offshore wind project has been extended to 12th July.

The announcement for the project which will be located approximately 69 kilometres offshore, to the east of Hornsea in the East Riding of Yorkshire, has been made in the House of Commons.

Andrew Bowie, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State said: “A decision has been made to set a new deadline of no later than 12th July 2023 for deciding this application.

“This is to enable my Department to seek further information from the Applicant and to ensure there is sufficient time to allow for consideration of this information by other interested parties.”

Responding to the news, RenewableUK’s Executive Director of Policy Ana Musat said: “Today’s decision to delay the Development Consent Order for Hornsea 4 is particularly disappointing as it will now take longer to meet our renewables targets.

“At a time when countries like the US and the EU are doubling down on attracting clean energy investment through financial incentives and a stable policy framework, the UK cannot afford to create unnecessary hurdles for investors and developers.

“This decision clearly shows that government needs to reform our cumbersome planning system urgently to ensure that renewable energy projects are not subject to needless delays.”