On March 27, 2024, RWE completed the acquisition of three UK offshore wind projects from Vattenfall, announced at the end of December. These projects, Norfolk Vanguard West, Norfolk Vanguard East, and Norfolk Boreas, located 50-80 kilometers off the coast of Norfolk County, have a planned capacity of 1.4 gigawatts (GW) each. These well-advanced projects have already secured seabed rights, grid connections, Development Consent Orders and all other key permits.
Team transfer and green ambitions
With this acquisition, the majority of Vattenfall’s Norfolk team joins RWE, bringing their expertise to the development of the three projects under RWE’s “Growing Green” investment and growth plans. These members will play a crucial role in the delivery of the projects, scheduled for commissioning this decade. Sven Utermöhlen, CEO of RWE Offshore Wind, commented: “Over the past 13 years, the Norfolk team has done an excellent job in developing the three offshore wind projects. I am delighted to welcome them to our global offshore wind team, and we will be relying on their expertise to successfully deliver the projects in one of the world’s most attractive regions for offshore wind. I also look forward to continuing to work with our supply chain partners. I would also like to thank the team at Vattenfall and The Crown Estate for their work facilitating a smooth handover of the Norfolk projects to ensure a seamless transition.”
Project progress and future milestones
The Norfolk Vanguard West and East projects are the most advanced, having secured most of the key components. The next step is to win a Contract for Difference (CfD) at the upcoming auction. RWE is also resuming development of the Norfolk Boreas project, previously suspended, with the aim of securing agreements with preferred suppliers before submitting the project to a CfD auction at a later date.
The UK is at the heart of RWE’s strategy to grow its offshore wind portfolio, aligned with the country’s Net Zero ambitions and energy security, as well as the target of 50 GW of offshore wind by 2030. RWE already operates 10 offshore wind farms in the UK and is developing a further nine offshore wind projects, representing a combined potential installed capacity of around 9.8 GW, of which RWE’s proportional share is 7 GW. In addition, RWE is building the 1.4 GW Sofia offshore wind project in the North Sea, off the east coast of the UK.
