The Norwegian energy ministry on Friday approved a request from the developer of the country's first commercial offshore wind farm to delay a licence application deadline by one year.
The ministry granted operator Ventyr the extension until October 15, 2027 to conduct a project-specific impact assessment, it said in a statement.
Ventyr, a consortium between IKEA store owner Ingka and renewable developer JERA Nex bp, in 2024 won the rights to build the 1.5-gigawatt (GW) Soerlige Nordsjoe II bottom-fixed offshore wind farm in the North Sea.
The company in June requested the extension, citing, among other things, the need for more time to investigate a possible alternative route for landfall and grid connection.
"The ministry believes that there is a basis for extending the deadline for submitting a licence application by 12 months due to the need to investigate the alternative route, and has therefore granted the application for an extension," it said.
The first electricity production from Soerlige Nordsjoe II was previously expected in 2030. It was not immediately clear whether the extended deadline will affect the overall project timeline.
(Reporting by Nora Buli; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
