Vattenfall and Peel Ports Great Yarmouth to Put Pen to Paper by Summer 2018

Vattenfall and Peel Ports Great Yarmouth expect to finalise their agreement to locate the Swedish energy group’s offshore wind operations base at this East Anglian facility by summer 2018.

Vattenfall is developing the 1.8GW Norfolk Vanguard and the 1.8GW Norfolk Boreas wind farms located some 47 and 73 kilometres off the Norfolk coast.

The developer signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Peel Ports Great Yarmouth in 2017 to explore locating the operations base for the two wind farms in Great Yarmouth.

Once signed, the deal will cement Vattenfall’s 25-year minimum residence in the port and is expected to trigger major investment from the offshore wind power supply chain, potentially creating thousands of new jobs in the region, Vattenfall said.

“We are making substantial progress with Peel Ports on an agreement to locate our operations base at the Great Yarmouth facility. If we build both wind farms, we expect to employ up to 150 skilled, local technicians to maintain our projects for a minimum of 25-years,” Ruari Lean, Vattenfall’s Project Manager for Norfolk Vanguard offshore wind farm, said.

”But what we think is really exciting is that we know that a potential multi-billion-pound investment in our wind farms would encourage the supply chain to cluster around us and other operators off East Anglia. So, we want to work with other economic interests like EEEGR and Norfolk Chamber of Commerce to capture that benefit for the area and establish Norfolk as a world leading hub for offshore wind power.”

According to Lean, not only coastal communities stand to gain from the two projects, with up to 400 jobs alone to be created by construction works on the onshore infrastructure.

“This investment would be a beacon to encourage companies to relocate or set up here, growing a world-class hub for a long-term industry. Investment like this will bring employment, prosperity and aspiration for the wider area for decades to come,” Chief Executive of Great Yarmouth-based 3sun Group, Graham Hacon, said.

“We already have a dynamic, inventive and flexible supply chain in the east of England that has worked hard to shape itself for the growing offshore wind industry, many adapting its offer from a background of oil and gas. A 25-year commitment would be an opportunity for companies already here, while stimulating new supply chain investment in the area and its people.”