RWE and Vattenfall have come to an agreement under which RWE will take over development of the three projects in the Norfolk Wind Zone in the UK. Vestas is to partner with RWE in bringing forward the suspended projects to completion.
To facilitate this arrangement Vestas and Vattenfall have signed preferred supplier agreements for all three projects in the 4.2 GW Norfolk Zone.
These are the 1380 MW Norfolk Vanguard West project, comprising 92 of Vestas’ V236-15 MW offshore wind turbines, and the Norfolk Vanguard East and Norfolk Boreas projects with a total installed capacity of 2760 MW between them.
The two latter projects will potentially feature up to 184 V236-15 MW turbines. Once installed, the agreements also include the provision that Vestas will service the projects under long-term Operations and Maintenance service contracts.
The agreements represent a step forward for what will be one of the largest offshore wind zones in the world, and are being seen as an endorsement of the UK government’s recent announcement about the parameters for next year’s Contracts for Difference Auction round, positive changes designed to revitalise investor interest in the UK offshore wind industry.
