Equinor gets UK nod to double capacity at two wind farms off Norfolk coast

Equinor has been granted consent to carry out additional development on the Sheringham Shoal and Dudgeon offshore wind projects off the coast of Norfolk in the UK, the Norwegian energy giant said in a statement (today) Thursday.

The extensions, granted by the UK government’s department of energy security and net zero, mean the two wind farms will be able to power nearly 1.5 million UK households, more than double the 710,000 homes that can be supplied currently, Equinor stated.

The consent order granted to Equinor covers the construction and operation of an additional 53 wind turbines and their foundations — with a combined generating capacity equating to 786MW — as well as up to two offshore transformer substations and inter-array cables.

The 317MW Sheringham Shoal Offshore Wind Farm - located between 17 and 23 kilometres off the coast of North Norfolk - was commissioned in 2012 and comprises 88 wind turbines with a total installed capacity of 402MW. Dudgeon, completed in late 2017, has an installed capacity of 402MW from 67 machines and is located 32km off the coast.

Equinor is one of several big European oil and gas companies whose prior commitments to invest in offshore wind have come under scrutiny after almost two years of economic headwinds for the sector, but the Norwegian company said today that its Norfolk project extensions would make a significant contribution to UK targets for offshore wind.

“We are delighted with the Secretary of State’s decision to award consent, doubling the capacity of the existing projects, and clearing the way forward to significantly contribute to the UK’s offshore wind and Net Zero targets by 2030," commented Halfdan Brustad, Equinor’s vice-president for UK Renewables.

Equinor said this marks the first time in the UK that two separate offshore wind projects have been awarded consent under a shared application which provides the opportunity to combine development of the two projects.

“This includes an option in the consent application to utilise an integrated transmission system, as well as separate grid connections for each project, within the same overall onshore footprint. The development has been selected as a Pathfinder project for coordinated offshore transmission development under the UK Government’s Offshore Transmission Network Review,” the company stated.

Planning for the projects will also aim to leverage the existing operations and maintenance base at Great Yarmouth.

“The extension projects have been developed carefully over the last five years, with innovative approaches to transmission planning and consenting, underpinned by close engagement with the local community," Brustad said.

Equinor said it will now review the consent granted in full detail and determine if and when the projects can be taken forward for a final investment decision.