Norfolk project wind farms enter development stage

Swedish power company Vattenfall has started the planning process for the first of its two offshore wind farms, Norfolk Vanguard and Norfolk Boreas, in the northern half of the East Anglia Offshore Wind Farm development zone in the North Sea. The farms are expected to generate 1.8GW of capacity each, sufficient to meet the power needs of 2.6m British households. Development work of the Vanguard project has commenced and Boreas is scheduled for development in 2017. The company expects to secure financing in 2022, with Vanguard estimated to cost around £5.5bn ($7.79bn). Vattenfall aims to install 7GW of wind energy capacity in Northern Europe by 2025.

Swedish energy firm Vattenfall announced this week that it has started development on the 3.6 GW Norfolk Vanguard offshore wind farm.

Last week, the UK’s Crown Estate announced finalized revisions to its Round 3 offshore wind farm development agreements with DONG Energy, ScottishPower Renewables, and Vattenfall — though at the time, only DONG Energy’s plans to develop Hornsea Projects Two, Three, and Four were fully revealed. Less than a week later, and Vattenfall has announced the specifics of its revised agreement with the Crown Estate, the national body entrusted with safeguarding the country’s land, onshore and off.

Specifically, as was announced, Vattenfall is moving forward with two projects in what used to be the northern half of the East Anglia Offshore Wind Farm development zone. The new wind farms will be called Norfolk Vanguard and Norfolk Boreas, both of which are set to have a target capacity of 1.8 GW.

Development of Norfolk Boreas will start in 2017, however Vattenfall announced Tuesday that development of Norfolk Vanguard has already commenced, with Vattenfall taking the project into the planning process. Intended to be developed 47 kilometers off the coast, Vanguard will generate the equivalent electricity necessary to supply more than 1.3 million UK households.

“Vattenfall wants to work with Norfolk to capture the benefits of offshore wind,” said Ruari Lean, Vattenfall’s Project Manager for Norfolk Vanguard. “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.”

“As the industry grows costs will fall; that’s why offshore wind has a great future in the UK,” added Andy Paine, Vattenfall’s Project Director for Norfolk Vanguard and head of UK offshore wind. “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.”

The Crown Estate’s actions have played into the existing confidence building around the UK’s offshore wind industry, highlighted earlier this year by both DONG Energy and Vattenfall, who were “optimistic” that the UK Government was set to back its nations offshore wind industry.

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