Offshore Construction Start

Offshore construction for the Norfolk Vanguard East Offshore Wind Farm is planned to commence in early 2027, as part of the coordinated build-out of RWE’s Norfolk Zone cluster (Vanguard West, Vanguard East and Boreas). According to the official project website, construction of the shared onshore cable route for all three projects is already underway, and offshore construction is expected to begin early in 2027. This timing indicates that Norfolk Vanguard East’s offshore works will start once the key onshore transmission infrastructure between the landfall at Happisburgh and the National Grid connection at Necton has progressed sufficiently to support the subsequent offshore installation campaign. Norfolk Vanguard East is a 1.4 GW consented offshore wind project, fully owned and developed by RWE, and forms one of three sister projects in the Norfolk Zone, which together will comprise 276 turbines located approximately 47–80 km off the Norfolk coast. The projects have secured seabed rights, grid connections, Development Consent Orders and other essential permits, creating a regulatory and technical foundation for moving into the offshore construction phase. Onshore construction of the underground cable route began in 2023 and is described as well underway, with 2024 activity focused on works at the substation site and along the western sections of the cable route. The planned early‑2027 offshore construction start for Norfolk Vanguard East marks the transition from primarily onshore civil works and preparatory activity towards full-scale offshore installation. Once all three Norfolk Zone projects are built and operational, they are expected to generate enough green electricity to power the equivalent of more than 4 million UK households, reinforcing East Anglia’s role as a leading hub for offshore wind development and bringing substantial construction-phase and long-term operational employment benefits to the region.