Vattenfall has signed a contract for export cables for the UK’s Norfolk Vanguard Offshore Wind Farm with preferred bidders DEME Group and LS Cable & System.
It follows a similar recent cable agreement for sister project Norfolk Boreas Wind Farm.
The consortium will provide around 180km of HVDC export cables for the onshore route and around 320km for the offshore route for the whole of what Vattenfall calls its Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone, which comprises both wind farms.
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Vattenfall says that choosing HVDC cables has allowed it to “cut the size of the cable route by a third, reducing the impact on the local area and making the project more sustainable”.
Catrin Jung, Head of Offshore Wind at Vattenfall, said the latest cable agreement was “a big milestone for the project”, while Rob Anderson, Project Director of Vattenfall’s Norfolk Zone, added: “Alongside the potential to level-up East Anglia with new green collar jobs and supply chain opportunities, the zone has a critical role in delivering net zero in the UK.”
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Britain is a world leader in locating offshore wind farms in its waters, yet it has resisted similar expansion of onshore wind.
However, this week the government revealed it would be consulting on relaxing planning laws to allow more onshore wind, a move welcomed by Vattenfall.
The company’s Head of UK Onshore Development, Frank Elsworth, said: “If this is a genuine move which will put onshore wind on a level playing field with other infrastructure in England, it will send a very positive signal that the government is serious about harnessing the benefits which onshore development can unleash for the environment , the economy, and communities.
“Vattenfall’s experience in England, Wales and Scotland has shown that people respond positively when they see the benefits which development brings in the form of investment, jobs, and support for local businesses.
“There doesn’t need to be a one-size-fits-all approach to community engagement – the most successful projects are those that enable communities to help shape the way the wind farm will benefit the surrounding area.”
