RWE has confirmed Lamprell as the supplier of 184 transition pieces for its UK Norfolk Vanguard West and Vanguard East offshore wind farms.
German firm RWE purchased the two Norfolk projects from Swedish developer Vattenfall in a £963 million deal earlier this year.
Vattenfall had previously agreed a deal with the UAE-based Lamprell for the supply the Vanguard transition pieces from its Hamriyah production facility.
The Lamprell contract with RWE includes the manufacture and transportation of the pieces to the staging port, which is still to be selected. Both projects will use 92 transition pieces each.
© Supplied by RWEThe two Vanguard projects form the Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone alongside Norfolk Boreas.
When complete, the wind farms will have a combined total installed capacity of 2.8 gigawatts (GW), equivalent to power around four million UK homes.
Lamprell will fabricate the transition pieces using its advanced manufacturing facility at Hamriyah, which it commissioned in 2023.
The facility successfully completed its first project in 2024, delivering over 60 similar structures for the Moray West wind farm in Scotland.
Lamprell chief executive Ian Prescott said: “This contract award highlights Lamprell’s commitment to delivering high-quality wind turbine foundation structures that support the global transition towards renewable energy.
© Image: RWERWE offshore wind chief financial officer Dr Holger Himmel said the developer looks forward to a “fruitful and productive” relationship with Lamprell.
“We continue to work closely with our delivery partners to progress the development of these important projects towards offshore construction and operation,” he said.
Lamprell offshore wind deals
Confirmation of the Norfolk Vanguard deal marks the latest contract win for Lamprell in the UK offshore wind sector.
In 2022, the company secured a contract for the construction and shipping of 62 transition pieces for the 880 MW Moray West development in a deal said to be worth between £100m and £200m.
© Supplied by LamprellLamprell is also in line to provide work for a trio of giant floating wind projects off the coast of Scotland.
Developer Cerulean Winds has said the project would cost in excess of £10 billion and revealed US energy service firm NOV as a key partner in 2021.
NOV, the exclusive provider of floating and mooring systems, has “stated its intent” to use Lamprell as its provider for fabrication, assembly and outfitting.
The potential involvement of Lamprell in the Aspen, Beech and Cedar projects sparked criticism from unions over the potential loss of UK manufacturing jobs to overseas firms.
Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone
Each of RWE’s three Norfolk projects has a planned capacity of 1.4 GW and will be constructed approximately 47 to 80 kilometres off the coast of Norfolk in East Anglia.
RWE resumed development at Norfolk Boreas earlier this year after Vattenfall had previously said it would put the project on hold due to rising costs.
The projects already have seabed rights, grid connections, Development Consent Orders and all other key permits.
Onshore construction of the substations and undergrounded cable route between Necton and Happisburgh has already begun.
© Supplied by RWERWE said it plans to enter the Norfolk Vanguard projects into a future Contracts for Difference auction.
Across the UK and Ireland, RWE is developing 10 offshore wind projects representing a combined capacity of over 10.5 GW.
UK projects include planned extensions at Awel y Môr in Wales and Rampion 2, Five Estuaries and North Falls in English waters.
The company is also progressing the Dogger Bank South project alongside Emirati state-owned renewables firm Masdar, as well as the 1.4 GW Sofia offshore wind farm.
