The Anonymous Widower

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.

  1. The Norfolk Zone consists of three wind farms; Norfolk Vanguard West, Norfolk Boreas and Norfolk Vanguard East.
  2. The three wind farms are 1.4 GW fixed-foundation wind farms.
  3. 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.
  4. Great Yarmouth and nearby Lowestoft are both ports, with a long history of supporting shipbuilding and offshore engineering.
  5. Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft both have a good rail connection to London.
  6. The Sizewell nuclear power complex is a few miles down the cost just North of Aldeburgh.
  7. 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.

  1. Bremen is in the South-East corner of the map.
  2. Bremerhaven is to the North of Bremen.
  3. Hamburg is off the map to the East.
  4. Note the islands along the coast, which feature in the Riddle of the Sands.
  5. 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.

  1. Bremen and Bremerhaven are in the North-East corner of the map.
  2. Wilhelmshaven is a dozen miles West of Bremerhaven.
  3. The red arrow to the North of Norwich on the Norfolk Coast is where the Norfolk Vanguard cables will make landfall at Happisburg.
  4. Norfolk Boreas cables will make landfall at South Happisburg.
  5. 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?

 

November 12, 2026 Posted by | Artificial Intelligence, Energy | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment