Vattenfall have won a Contracts for Difference award for the Norfolk Boreas Offshore Wind Farm. Thanks to this allocation, Vattenfall and the region move one step closer to realising the Norfolk Zone – one of the world’s largest offshore wind zones. Wind farms in the Norfolk Zone, operated from a local port base, will deliver low cost, green electricity to homes and businesses across the UK for more than twenty five years, using innovative offshore wind technology and world-leading design including a coordinated grid connection. Turning Norfolk into a powerhouse of renewable energy, this first phase of development will see Norfolk Boreas preparing to power around 1.5 million UK homes and bring significant community and skills investment directly into East Anglia. Vattenfall is working with local companies, members of the East Wind Offshore Wind Cluster, and working with Local Authorities, Generate and EEEGr as well as with schools, colleges, and universities to help support new green jobs. The project will aim to use local contractors and skills ensuring that Norfolk and will benefit from the investment Vattenfall is planning to make. This sits alongside a community benefit fund, of up to £15m, to be used to support low carbon community projects across the region. Subject to a final investment decision, construction will begin next year. Norfolk Boreas is the first phase of Vattenfall’s Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone and comes ahead of the Norfolk Vanguard Offshore Wind Farm. Once complete, in the late twenty twenties, the Norfolk Zone will produce enough renewable electricity to power more than four million homes and will be one of the largest offshore wind zones in the world. The country’s route away from the current energy crisis lies in speeding up our shift to net zero. The UK government has set ambitious targets which send a clear signal that that we need to move away from imported fossil fuels to a future powered by low-cost renewables. Unlocking the UK’s potential for offshore wind now lies in setting out a clear plan to turbocharge delivery, including speeding up the development process. The next auction, CfD Allocation Round 5, will boost the UK’s offshore wind delivery even further and accelerate our path to a fossil-free future. You can read more here: https://bit.ly/NBOWCFD, and also learn more about current development plans and community engagement here: https://bit.ly/NorfolkZone.
