Project On Hold

In July 2023, Vattenfall halted work on the 1.4GW Norfolk Boreas offshore wind farm in the UK’s southern North Sea, effectively placing the project on hold. The decision came after the company had already secured development consent in December 2021 and a UK Contracts for Difference (CfD) award at £37.35/MWh in July 2022, which had underpinned expectations that construction would move ahead. Despite this progress, Vattenfall cited sharply deteriorating economic conditions as the trigger for its pause, specifically pointing to high inflation and capital costs that had risen by up to 40% compared with earlier assumptions. The announcement signalled a fundamental disruption to the project’s development trajectory rather than a routine scheduling delay. By stopping work, Vattenfall responded to a cost environment that rendered the existing business case and support framework untenable, even with a CfD in place. The pause affected ongoing development activities within the Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone, of which Norfolk Boreas is a key component. Subsequent ownership changes and the later resumption of development under RWE started with other zone projects, confirming that Norfolk Boreas would no longer progress on its original timetable and remains sequenced to follow after Norfolk Vanguard West, reflecting the consequences of the July 2023 decision to halt work.