GENERATE hails ‘next step’ for region as major wind farm approved

GENERATE, the East of England’s pioneering energy investment partnership, has welcomed a delayed announcement that Vattenfall’s Norfolk Vanguard wind farm has been given development consent by Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), Kwasi Kwarteng.

The wind farm, which could power up to 2 million homes, was scheduled to be decided upon in 2021 with Vanguard’s sister site Norfolk Boreas. However, while Boreas was approved in December, a legal challenge saw the Vanguard decision delayed until this month. GENERATE said the positive news cemented Norfolk and Suffolk as the energy hub of the UK.

Ian Pease, Business Development Manager, GENERATE, said: “Today’s exciting announcement approving Vattenfall’s Vanguard wind farm once again shows how fundamental the East of England’s place is as the powerhouse of the UK’s thriving offshore renewables industry.

“The East of England is at the centre of the Government’s plans for a green industrial revolution, producing the lion’s share of the UK’s low carbon energy from a supercluster of offshore wind, nuclear and onshore renewables.

“Vattenfall’s Norfolk Vanguard wind farm approval joins that of Norfolk Boreas, which was approved in December, and signals the next step for Norfolk and Suffolk. The East of England is expected to power up to 50% of the UK’s 40GW offshore wind target by 2030.

“Vanguard is just the latest in a long line of energy proposals which continue to benefit from the East of England’s unrivalled wealth of renewables’ expertise and knowledge, creating well paid, highly skilled and sustainable employment opportunities for our coastal communities.”

As the East of England’s link between the region’s wealth of renewables opportunities and energy investors, GENERATE promotes the region’s unique energy investment opportunities, highly skilled energy supply chain, and unrivalled centres of innovation, research and science.

For more information visit the GENERATE  website