The Norfolk Vanguard West offshore wind farm is a 1.4GW development in the UK North Sea being undertaken by a joint venture (JV) between RWE (50%) and KKR (50%).
Construction of the project’s onshore infrastructure is currently in progress and commissioning of the project is anticipated in 2029.
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Upon completion, the wind farm is projected to supply electricity to approximately 1.5 million UK households.
The project is also expected to contribute to the UK’s objective of increasing offshore wind capacity by 2030, advancing towards a net-zero power system and enhancing the country’s supply of long-term, low-carbon energy.
Norfolk Vanguard West location
The Norfolk Vanguard West offshore wind project is situated approximately 47km off the Norfolk coast in East Anglia, UK.
The wind farm’s array covers an area of around 295km2, with water depths varying between 25m and 50m below Lowest Astronomical Tide.
Project development background
The Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone project was originally developed by Vattenfall and comprises three wind farms – Norfolk Vanguard West, Norfolk Vanguard East and Norfolk Boreas – each with a capacity of 1.4GW.
The project represents a total offshore wind capacity of 4.2GW.
Norfolk Vanguard, a subsidiary of Vattenfall, submitted an application to obtain development consent for the Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone in June 2018.
The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy granted consent through a development consent order (DCO) in February 2022 under the Planning Act 2008.
The DCO was subsequently amended by the Norfolk Vanguard Offshore Windfarm (Amendment) Order 2022 and the Norfolk Vanguard Offshore Wind Farm Order 2023 in December 2023.
Vattenfall managed the Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone development for 13 years before divesting the project to RWE in March 2024 as part of a transaction valued at £963m ($1.22bn).
In January 2026, RWE entered into an agreement with KKR to jointly develop, construct and operate the project’s Norfolk Vanguard West and Norfolk Vanguard East wind farms through a 50/50 JV.
During the same month, RWE secured contracts for difference for 6.9GW of offshore wind capacity in the UK’s Allocation Round 7, which includes the Norfolk Vanguard West and Norfolk Vanguard East wind farms, at a strike price of £91.20 per megawatt hour.
RWE has initiated the process to secure non-recourse project finance debt for the development of both wind farms. The financial close and final investment decision for the offshore wind farms are scheduled for summer 2026.
Norfolk Vanguard West offshore wind farm make-up
The Norfolk Vanguard West offshore wind farm is set to feature 92 Vestas V236-15MW turbines.
The V236-15MW turbine model is characterised by 115.5m blades, a rotor diameter of 236m, a swept area exceeding 43,000m2 and a tip height of more than 260m.
The turbine utilises a gearbox-based drivetrain capable of delivering up to 15MW of power. The cut-in wind speed is three metres per second (m/s), while the cut-out wind speed is 31m/s.
Designed to operate in high wind environments, the turbine is certified to withstand International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 1 extreme wind conditions up to 50m/s and IEC T conditions up to 57m/s.
The wind turbines will be installed on XXL monopile foundations, complete with transition pieces.
Each monopile foundation will be up to 96m in length and weigh as much as 2,200t, while the transition pieces have a length of 23m, a diameter of 8m and weigh up to 410t.
Power transmission details of Norfolk Vanguard West
The wind turbine generators at Norfolk Vanguard West will be interconnected by approximately 226km of array cables, which will deliver the generated electricity to a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) offshore substation. These array cables range in length from 2.4km to 15km and have diameters between 100mm and 150mm.
The offshore substation comprises a topside structure weighing between 10,000t and 11,300t, supported by a jacket foundation weighing around 3,026t. Power will be transmitted to shore via an HVDC export cable, designed to reduce energy losses over long distances.
The export cable route traverses the Haisborough, Hammond and Winterton Special Area of Conservation and Marine Protected Area for approximately 40km before reaching landfall at Happisburgh.
From the landfall point, a 60km onshore HVDC cable will carry the electricity to the onshore substation at Necton, Norfolk, where the power will be converted back to alternating current and fed to the national grid.
Contractors involved
SeAH Wind secured a contract from Vattenfall in December 2023 to deliver monopile foundations for the wind farm.
In September 2024, Lamprell was awarded a contract by RWE to supply 92 transition pieces for the project. Lamprell subcontracted Ventherm to provide an automated robotic solution for preparing the surfaces of the transition pieces.
In February 2026, RWE entered into an agreement with Vestas for the supply, delivery and commissioning of V236-15MW wind turbines for the Norfolk Vanguard West project. Vestas will also provide maintenance services under a five-year service agreement, followed by a long-term operational support arrangement upon project completion. Watson Farley & Williams provided legal counsel to RWE for this contract.
Aker Solutions is overseeing the engineering, procurement, construction and installation of the offshore substation. The topside fabrication is being carried out in partnership with Drydocks World Dubai, while the substructure is being manufactured at Aker’s facility in Verdal, Norway.
Siemens Energy, working in consortium with Aker, is responsible for the onshore substation as well as the high-voltage equipment for the offshore substation.
Murphy has been appointed as a delivery partner for the 60km onshore HVDC cable route.
Norton Rose Fulbright advised RWE on its 50:50 joint venture with KKR for the joint development of the Norfolk Vanguard West offshore wind project, while DNV supported KKR as technical advisor.
