Key facts
- The government announced a £12bn investment from RWE and KKR in two Norfolk offshore windfarms.
- The state-owned national wealth fund is providing £1bn toward the projects.
- RWE said the Vanguard project would generate about 2.8 gigawatts, enough to supply 3 million homes.
- RWE estimated construction would create and support 2,300 jobs each year through its supply chain.
- SSE said the latest phase of its Berwick Bank B windfarm would support 2,600 existing jobs.
- The government said the investment is believed to be the biggest of its kind in UK history.
The UK government announced on November 11 a £12bn investment from German energy company RWE and US private equity firm KKR in the Vanguard West and Vanguard East offshore windfarms off the Norfolk coast. The state-owned national wealth fund is adding £1bn to the projects, which the government said is believed to be the biggest investment of its kind in UK history.
Andy Burnham called the package a "vote of confidence for building in Britain" and said it was "great news for bill payers because every turbine we put up is power under British control." He is expected to give a speech at the Cop31 climate summit in Turkey on November 12.
RWE said the Vanguard project would generate about 2.8 gigawatts, enough to supply 3 million homes, and estimated construction would create and support 2,300 jobs each year through its supply chain, with 100 long-term permanent jobs once operational. Construction is set to begin early next year, with power generation by 2030.
Energy secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh said investment in offshore wind and clean power was "creating quality jobs and rebuilding industry, while delivering the clean power we need to lower bills and reach net zero." SSE also announced on November 11 that the latest phase of its Berwick Bank B offshore windfarm off Scotland would support 2,600 existing jobs.
The announcement comes as the government faces criticism from Labour MPs and environmental campaigners over its approval of the Jackdaw gasfield. On November 10, Fahnbulleh rejected the £800m Botley West solar project near Blenheim Palace, which developers said would have powered 330,000 homes; she wrote that it would cause "substantial harm" to the green belt and the Blenheim Estate.