The UK government has delayed the decision deadline regarding the proposed 1.2GW Rampion 2 offshore wind extension project.

The deadline for the decision on the project was Thursday, February 6, but the UK Planning Inspectorate set a new deadline of April 4 so it can gather further information.

The Inspectorate completed a six-month examination of the application for a development consent order in August last year. It was followed by a three-month process to send a recommendation to UK energy secretary Ed Miliband who had to decide whether to grant or reject the development consent which he had not done before the deadline expired.

The biggest issue with the project is its onshore cable route which goes through the South Downs National Park between a landfall site near Climping and substations at Cowfold and Bolney. There were also complaints about the positioning of turbines which could damage the “defined special quality” of the national park and Sussex Heritage Coast.

The Rampion 2 project is being developed as an extension to the Rampion offshore wind farm, off the coast of Sussex. If approved, the project could start construction next year or in early 2027 with a target to be operational before 2030. The project was initially supposed to have 116 wind turbines but that number was later shrunk to 90 following consultation.

Rampion 2 is a joint venture between RWE Renewables – the largest stakeholder in the project, a Macquarie-led consortium, and Enbridge.

The already operational Rampion wind farm has a capacity of 400MW and was commissioned in April 2018. It was the first offshore wind farm on the south coast of England.