Deal Worth £12bn Announced To Build Offshore Wind Farms
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
A £12bn deal to construct wind farms has been described by Prime Minister Andy Burnham as “a vote of confidence for building in Britain”.
These two parargraphs add more details.
Energy company RWE and investment firm KKR have announced the funding, which will deliver the Vanguard West and Vanguard East offshore wind farms off the Norfolk coast.
The wind farms are expected to be fully commissioned in 2030, with offshore construction scheduled to begin in early 2027.
These two parargraphs give Andy Burnham’s view.
“It is great news for billpayers because every turbine we put up is power under British control, not at the mercy of events on the other side of the world,” added Burnham, as he prepared to head to the Cop31 climate summit.
“With coastal communities from Scotland to East Anglia powering Britain’s future, the places that host this energy benefit from the jobs and opportunities that it brings,” he added.
But I’m not sure that all the small print has been disclosed yet.
The Location Of The Norfolk Wind Farms
This map from RWE shows the Norfolk wind farms.
Note.
- The Norfolk Zone consists of three wind farms; Norfolk Vanguard West, Norfolk Boreas and Norfolk Vanguard East.
- The three wind farms are 1.4 GW fixed-foundation wind farms.
- In Vattenfall Selects Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone O&M Base, I describe how the Port of Great Yarmouth had been selected as the O & M base.
- Great Yarmouth and nearby Lowestoft are both ports, with a long history of supporting shipbuilding and offshore engineering.
- Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft both have a good rail connection to London.
- The Sizewell nuclear power complex is a few miles down the cost just North of Aldeburgh.
- Sizewell C is using hydrogen to minimise the carbon dioxide emissions from construction.
From my knowledge of the area and tales from bringing home North Sea Oil and Gas, I would feel, that the three Norfolk projects wouldn’t be the most difficult of large wind projects to undertake.
The Location Of Wilhelmshaven
This Google Map shows the location of Wilhelmshaven in North-West Germany.
Note.
- Bremen is in the South-East corner of the map.
- Bremerhaven is to the North of Bremen.
- Hamburg is off the map to the East.
- Note the islands along the coast, which feature in the Riddle of the Sands.
- Groningen in The Netherlands is in the South-West corner of the map.
Wilhelmshaven is picked out in red.
This larger map shows the sea and coasts between Hull and Bremen.
Note.
- Bremen and Bremerhaven are in the North-East corner of the map.
- Wilhelmshaven is a dozen miles West of Bremerhaven.
- The red arrow to the North of Norwich on the Norfolk Coast is where the Norfolk Vanguard cables will make landfall at Happisburg.
- Norfolk Boreas cables will make landfall at South Happisburg.
- Hull is in the North-West corner of the map.
From the map, it does appear to me, that the a cable between Humberside and Wilhelmshaven could possibly be routed via the Norfolk wind farms.
Connecting The Norfolk Boreas and Vanguard Wind Farms To The Grid
Google AI gave me this answer.
The Norfolk Boreas and Norfolk Vanguard offshore wind farms (owned and developed by RWE after acquiring the Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone from Vattenfall) connect to the UK National Grid via a major High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) transmission system:
Landfall Point: Power comes ashore via subsea export cables at Happisburgh on the coast of North Norfolk.
Onshore Cable Route: Electricity is transmitted inland through a 60 km underground cable corridor running across three local authority areas (North Norfolk, Broadland, and Breckland District Councils).
Grid Connection Substation: The underground cables lead to an onshore converter and substation infrastructure adjacent to the Necton substation in Breckland, where it ties into the UK’s National Grid.
Technology & Ownership: The projects use HVDC technology for long-distance transport to minimize environmental and visual impact on the Norfolk countryside compared to overhead lines, backed by multi-billion-pound funding agreements involving RWE and the National Wealth Fund.
My only worry, is will the Norfolk Nimbys allow the 60 km. underground cable to be built.
Could The Norfolk Boreas And Norfolk Vanguard Offshore Wind Farms Become An Offshore Hybrid Asset?
- It would allow hydrogen and electricity to be sent as required to Norfolk or Germany.
- Infrastructure in the two countries could be sized appropriately.
- Hydrogen could be generated offshore
- I believe that batteries could be placed offshore with the wind farm.
- More wind farms could be added.
- In What Are Offshore Hybrid Assets?, I describe the concept.
I can see Offshore Hybrid Assets, developed extensively in the future.
Do Some Undiagnosed Coeliacs Get Diagnosed With ADHD?
There has been talk today in the media about ADHD.
I found this article in The Times, which was entitled Benefits bill In UK Cities 50 Times More Than Employment Support, to be particularly interesting.
In a discussion with my late wife in the last century, about a case she had taken to court, she said that the pre-coeliac me, which she’d lived with for over thirty years, could have been diagnosed with ADHD. She also felt, I was different mentally after going gluten-free.
So I asked Google AI, the question in the title of this post.
This was the answer I received.
Yes, some individuals with undiagnosed coeliac disease do receive a diagnosis of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
The Connection
Symptom Overlap: Undiagnosed coeliac disease can cause systemic inflammation, chronic fatigue, brain fog, inattentiveness, and behavioral or mood disturbances. These neurological and cognitive symptoms can closely mimic or overlap with the presentation of ADHD.
Overrepresentation: Medical studies have noted that coeliac disease appears at higher rates in people presenting with ADHD symptoms than in the general population.
Misattribution: Because coeliac disease can present with atypical or non-gastrointestinal symptoms (without classic digestive distress), the underlying autoimmune condition may go unnoticed, leading clinicians to attribute cognitive and behavioral struggles to a primary psychiatric or neurodevelopmental disorder like ADHD.
Impact of Treatment
Research has shown that in individuals who actually have coeliac disease alongside ADHD-like symptoms, adopting a strict, long-term gluten-free diet often leads to a significant reduction in behavioral, attention, and executive-functioning difficulties as intestinal healing and a decrease in systemic inflammation take place.
Because of this overlap, some health organizations suggest considering coeliac screening during ADHD evaluations when gastrointestinal signs, nutritional deficiencies, or a family history of autoimmune conditions are present. You can learn more about clinical screening guidelines via the National Celiac Association.
These are my experiences of coeliac disease.
My Personal Experience
I spent a ghastly childhood, as my excellent GP had no idea, what I was suffering from.
But as there was no test for coeliac disease until about 1960, when I would have been 13, he didn’t have much chance.
Incidentally, I’ve only ever met one coeliac, who is older than me. But as their parents were both GPs, they worked out their daughter’s illness by food elimination.
I was finally diagnosed as coeliac at the age of fifty in 1997.
My Youngest Son’s Experience
My late wife felt he was coeliac, mainly because he had a lot of my characteristics.
But we never got him to be tested.
Although, I did see him a couple of times exhibiting very ADHD-like behaviour.
Sadly, he died at the age of just 36 from pancreatic cancer.
I am certain he was coeliac and his immune system, which was degraded by coeliac disease was too weak to fight the cancer.
Move Over Handy Andy: Dave Tops Britain’s DIY Leaderboard As Research Reveals The Jobs Best Left To The Experts
The title of this post is the same as that of this news item from Centrica.
These five bullet points act as sub-headings.
New research from British Gas reveals Dave, Steve and John top Britain’s DIY names leaderboard, while Emma emerges as the handiest female name
From fixing door handles to repairing boilers, new research reveals which household jobs Brits are happy to tackle and which they’d rather leave to the experts
British Gas encourages Brits to know their DIY limits with a giant tea-dispensing toolbox as part of its ‘Don’t Do It Yourself’ campaign
These two paragraphs add some of detail.
Forget Handy Andy, it’s more likely to be Handy Dave coming to the rescue, according to new research from British Gas. The study of 2,001 adults found Dave (13%) tops Britain’s DIY names leaderboard, followed by Steve, John and David (all 12%), while Emma (4%) emerged as the handiest female name. Further down, Paul (5%) and Nigel (4%) were among the names identified as least handy around the home.
And it seems British Gas has a few Handy Daves of its own, with 40 engineers sharing the nation’s handiest name. Of course, being handy isn’t just about knowing your way around a toolbox, but knowing when to put the tools down and call in an expert. While Brits are happy to roll up their sleeves for everyday tasks such as painting a wall (68%), hanging a picture (66%) and fixing a loose door handle (50%), they’re far more likely to leave specialist jobs such as repairing a boiler (73%), electrical wiring (68%) and central heating repairs (66%) to the professionals.
It’s only a bit of fun data analysis, but if they analyse the jobs they do with this care, it must be to the benefit of customers.
BW ESS Puts Europe’s Largest BESS Into Commercial Operation In The UK
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Energy Storage News.
This is the sub-heading.
BW ESS has put its 350MW/1,240MWh Hams Hall BESS project in the UK into operation, the largest in Europe.
Note.
- Hams Hall is in Birmingham
- That is roughly a three-and-a-half hour battery.
- Hams Hall’s capacity will increase to 400MW/1,424MWh once a second phase is complete.
- Google AI said the first phase was commissioned in late October 2026.
The Hams Hall BESS is certainly not on the small side.
In Manchester and Scotland Highview Power are building two liquid-air batteries.
- The Carrington battery in Manchester will be a 50 MW/300 MWh battery.
- The Hunterston battery in Scotland will be a 300 MW/3.2 GWh battery.
I can see a lot of healthy competition developing between the two technologies.
The two technologies can both build batteries around the same size.
But liquid-air technology appears to offer a longer duration.
New Bristol Railway Station Opening Date Announced
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
The opening date for a new railway station in Bristol designed to serve the new town Brabazon and the future Aviva Arena has been announced
These two paragraphs add more details about the location and the trains serving the new station.
Bristol Brabazon Station – near the site of the former North Filton Station – will welcome its first passengers with an 07:10 service on Monday 23 November marking a return to passenger trains on the currently freight-only Henbury Line.
An hourly service will run between Bristol Temple Meads and Bristol Brabazon, also calling at Lawrence Hill, Stapleton Road, Ashley Down and Filton Abbey Wood.
This OpenRailwayMap shows the route to Bristol Temple Meads station.
Note.
- Bristol Temple Meads sttion is marked by the blue arrow.
- The new town of Brabazon can be picked out to the North of a yellow railway marked AFR.
- The intermediate stations ; Lawrence Hill, Stapleton Road, Ashley Down and Filton Abbey Wood can be picked out in blue on the orange track.
This second OpenRailwayMap shows the route to Bristol Parkway station.
Note.
- Patchway and Bristol Parkway stations are on the Great Western Main Line between London Paddington and Cardiff Central stations.
- Bristol Brabazon station is to the West of Filton West junction.
- The grey square a little further West and on the South side of the railway, is the Aviva Arena.
- Trains will be able to go to Bristol Brabazon station from either Bristol Parkway, Bristol Temple Meads or stations like Newport, Cardiff Central and Swansea.
It certainly looks at a first glance, that Bristol is getting an arena with good rail access from all directions.
I also feel that judging by its Wikipedia entry, Bristol could be getting a spectacular arena.
- It is being converted from the hangars built for the Brabazon, which was an airliner designed by the Bristol Aircraft Company.
- The arena will acommodate 20,000 spectators, which is a similar capacity to the O2 Arena in London.
- Grimshaw Architects are involved.
- It is a £100 million project.
My only hope is that no vibes from the ill-fated Brabazon airliner rub off on the arena.
First Community-Funded Solar-Plus-Storage Plant Opens For Investment
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the Solar Power Portal.
This is the sub-heading.
The 7.4MW Common Lot solar park will be co-located with a 10MWh grid-connected BESS.
Note.
- UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has a median benchmark of 5.6 acres (2.25 hectares) per megawatt, so this solar park will be around 41.4 acres or a square with quarter-mile sides.
- If the BESS can provide full power for two hours, which is common, then it will have an output of 5 MW.
- Common Lot Solar Park has a web site.
- Both my houses in Suffolk, were in hamlets, where a system like this could have been installed.
I can see this model being repeated in rural areas or where there is a large building, that could support a large solar roof.
Is There A Working HiiROC Electrolyser in The United States?
I don’t know, but Google AI gave me this answer.
As of late 2026, there is no working or operational HiiROC electrolyser (Thermal Plasma Electrolysis plant) in the United States.
While the UK-based company has expanded its focus to the U.S. market—incorporating HiiROC USA in Delaware and working with the U.S. Department of Energy’s GREET model to calculate its carbon intensity—its active and pilot deployments remain concentrated in Europe and the United Kingdom.
Current HiiROC Projects & Status
Instead of U.S. facilities, HiiROC’s current physical footprint and major milestones include:
The Brigg Pilot Plant (UK): A demonstration facility built in partnership with Centrica at a gas-peaking plant in Lincolnshire, England, which represents their primary working test site.
Industrial Scale Deployments (UK): Scaled industrial rollouts, such as a major project at Cemex’s Rugby cement plant and a pilot facility at Saltend Chemicals Park in Hull.
Future Pipelines: The company has targeted commercial unit deployments starting in 2026, alongside feasibility studies for massive clean methanol and hydrogen plants in Scotland.
The U.S. hydrogen market currently relies heavily on other local producers (such as Monolith Materials for methane pyrolysis or Plug Power and Electric Hydrogen for water electrolysis), though HiiROC is actively building its in-country team to service future pipeline demand from U.S. customers.
You do wonder, if because of Trump, no American companies decided to get involved with HiiROC.
Is There A Working HiiROC Electrolyser in Japan?
I don’t know, but Google AI gave me this answer.
No, there is no working HiiROC electrolyser (Thermal Plasma Electrolysis unit) in Japan.
HiiROC and Tokyo Gas signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in January 2025 to jointly assess and explore the potential deployment of HiiROC’s technology across Japan, rather than an operational installation.
It looks to me that the Japanese are taken a careful route.
Is There A Working HiiROC Electrolyser in Korea?
I don’t know, but Google AI gave me this answer.
No, there is currently no working HiiROC electrolyser operational in South Korea.
While the UK-based clean technology company HiiROC has established deep ties to South Korea through major corporate investments, its active deployments and pilot projects remain focused primarily in Europe and the United Kingdom.
The South Korean Connection
Although a physical unit is not yet running in the country, South Korea plays a vital role in HiiROC’s growth:
Strategic Backing: Major South Korean automotive and industrial giants, including Hyundai Motor Group, Kia, and HD Hyundai, are key strategic investors. They backed HiiROC during its major £26 million funding rounds to support the scaling of its Thermal Plasma Electrolysis (TPE) technology.
Future Intentions: Financial and sustainability reports indicate an explicit intent to manufacture and deploy products in South Korea in collaboration with these local partners as part of the country’s broader push toward a hydrogen economy.
Where HiiROC Electrolysers Are Working
HiiROC’s initial real-world demonstrations and operational commercial pilots are located closer to its home base:
Germany: A 400 kg/day hydrogen production facility in Thierbach, developed alongside energy companies Wintershall Dea and VNG.
United Kingdom: Active projects injecting hydrogen into gas-fired peak power plants with Centrica at Brigg Energy Park, a biohydrogen pilot with EPi in Chelmsford, and industrial decarbonization efforts with the building materials company Cemex at their Rugby cement plant.
South Korea is aggressively building out its own domestic hydrogen capabilities, including a planned 320MW water electrolysis facility at Saemangeum and a 20 MW byproduct hydrogen plant in Ulsan, but these currently utilize different technologies rather than HiiROC’s proprietary plasma torches.
I can see Korea eventually being a large market for HiiROC.
Is There A Working HiiROC Electrolyser in Germany?
I don’t know, but Google AI gave me this answer.
Yes, there are active initiatives and facilities utilizing HiiROC’s technology in Germany, backed heavily by German energy giants.
HiiROC’s proprietary technology is fundamentally different from traditional water electrolysis; it uses Thermal Plasma Electrolysis (TPE) (a type of methane pyrolysis) to split natural gas or biomethane into clean “turquoise” hydrogen and solid carbon black.
The German Pilot Plant (Wintershall Dea & VNG)
The primary deployment in Germany is a pilot facility developed through a strategic partnership with German energy companies Wintershall Dea and VNG AG, both of whom are also direct stakeholders in HiiROC.
Location & Purpose: Built at a site in eastern Germany, this facility was designed as the first of its kind in the country to produce turquoise hydrogen on a commercial pilot scale.
Capacity: The plant has a nominal capacity of 400 kg of hydrogen per day (equivalent to an annual energy output of nearly 5 GWh).
Operation: The facility utilizes HiiROC’s modular plasma units to extract hydrogen directly from the gas grid at the point of use, capturing the carbon as solid carbon black—which is then routed for industrial use (such as in tire manufacturing and construction materials)
International Scaling & Automation Support
To transition these modular systems into wider industrial operation across Germany and the rest of Europe, HiiROC maintains a research lab in mainland Europe and signed a major partnership with German engineering giant Siemens. Siemens provides the advanced control technology, safety automation, and factory scaling expertise necessary to mass-produce and safely operate these high-pressure plasma electrolysers in demanding industrial environments.
Germany is certainly onboard and helping, with this exciting development from Hull.