Sweden-headquartered Vattenfall has started development of the 1.8GW Norfolk Vanguard offshore wind farm project off the coast of Norfolk, following the recent agreement with The Crown Estate to take the project into the planning process.
Vattenfall and The Crown Estate have also agreed to develop the 1.8GW Norfolk Boreas, with the development of this project expected to start in 2017.
Back in 2010, Vattenfall and ScottishPower Renewables jointly bought rights to develop what was then known as the East Anglia Zone from The Crown Estate.
The zone was developed in partnership with ScottishPower Renewables since 2010. After the JV gained consent for East Anglia ONE in 2014, the partners agreed to divide the zone, with Vattenfall developing the northern half, where Norfolk Vanguard and Norfolk Borealis will be situated, independently.
“Vattenfall wants to work with Norfolk to capture the benefits of offshore wind. There is an opportunity for Norfolk business and securing Norfolk jobs. There is also an opportunity to make a telling impact in the UK’s contribution to tackling climate change,” Ruari Lean, Vattenfall’s Project Manager for Norfolk Vanguard, said.
Recently the UK Government has said it sees the offshore wind sector making an increasing contribution to the UK generation mix with capacity doubling to 20GW by 2030, as costs reduce. Late last year, Vattenfall said it was targeting a tripling of wind power capacity to 7GW across northern Europe by 2025 as it moves to a more sustainable energy business.
Andy Paine, Vattenfall’s Project Director for Norfolk Vanguard and head of UK offshore wind, said: “As the industry grows costs will fall; that’s why offshore wind has a great future in the UK. An industry is emerging in Norfolk and we are convinced that the region is well placed to secure an even bigger role in the sector.”