Britain's energy ministry has approved the Dogger Bank Creyke Beck offshore wind project, the world's biggest offshore wind park, it said in a statement on Tuesday.
The project, located in the North Sea, is being led by Forewind, a consortium comprising SSE, RWE, Statkraft and Statoil.
Following the government's consent, a six-week judicial review period is now underway, a spokeswoman for the project said. A final investment decision is expected to be taken within two years, after which construction will begin.
It will comprise up to 400 turbines totaling 2.4 gigawatts in capacity — enough electricity for almost 2 million homes.
A decision on Forewind's second application, for Dogger Bank Teesside A and B, is expected in August.
Britain currently has an installed offshore wind capacity of around 4.05 gigawatts, the world's largest, and is targeting up to 41 gigawatts by 2030 in a bid to reduce carbon emissions in its electricity sector.