Equinor (OSE:EQNR) has received development consents for its plans to extend the operational Sheringham Shoal and Dudgeon offshore wind farms off the North Norfolk coast.
UK Secretary of State for the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero Claire Coutinho granted the consents for the Sheringham Shoal and Dudgeon Extension Projects. This will double the capacity of the existing wind farms, providing renewable energy to power an additional 785,000 UK homes.
With these extensions, Equinor’s wind farms in Norfolk will power nearly 1.5 million households and make a significant contribution to the UK’s decarbonisation goals.
Equinor holds stakes in both wind farms, with Green Investment Group holding a share in Sheringham Shoal, and Masdar and Statkraft holding stakes in Dudgeon.
The consent marks the first time in the UK that two offshore wind projects under separate ownership have been awarded consent under a shared application which provides the opportunity to combine development of the two projects.
Through a coordinated approach and extensive consultations with local community members, Equinor has sought to develop the Extension Projects to maximise local benefits and minimise disruption.
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.
During the construction phase, the Extension Projects are anticipated to support more than 1,800 full time jobs per year across the UK and within East Anglia, generating over £370m in direct gross value added (GVA) to the East Anglia and UK economy.
The projects are also planned to leverage the existing operations and maintenance base at Great Yarmouth, which will continue to serve the operational Sheringham Shoal and Dudgeon wind farms, as well as the new turbines once developed.
Equinor will now review the consent granted in full detail and determine if and when the projects can be taken forward for Final Investment Decision (FID).
Commenting on the Secretary of State’s decision, Halfdan Brustad, Equinor’s VP, UK Renewables, said: “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.
“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. The extensions build on our longstanding presence in Norfolk and we look forward to contributing even more positively to the local region and the UK’s offshore wind growth.”
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