RWE has confirmed a contract with Vestas to supply offshore wind turbines to its Vanguard West project in the UK. This announcement follows RWE’s success in securing a Contract for Difference (CFDs) for the project in Allocation Round 7 (AR7), and its announcement of a long-term partnership with KKR, a leading global investment firm, to jointly realise both its Vanguard West and East offshore projects.
Under the terms of the contract, Vestas will be responsible for the supply, delivery and commissioning of 92 of its V236-15.0 megawatts (MW) offshore wind turbines(1).
RWE is currently targeting a Final Investment Decision (FID) for Vanguard West in summer 2026 with commissioning of the project expected in 2029.
Sven Utermöhlen, CEO RWE Offshore Wind, said: “Following RWE’s success in Allocation Round 7 and our joint partnering with KKR, this turbine supply agreement marks a further important step towards delivering the Vanguard West project. Given RWE’s significant offshore experience, we are delighted to be partnering with Vestas, who have extensive expertise in turbine manufacture and delivery.”
Nils de Baar, President of Vestas Northern & Central Europe and Global Offshore, added: “The momentum behind offshore wind in Europe is building with the UK Government stepping up its commitment in AR7 and projects like Norfolk Vanguard West moving forward. This combination of industry partnership and government commitment sends a powerful signal about the UK’s determination to drive forward its renewable energy ambitions. We are delighted to collaborate with RWE on the Norfolk Vanguard West project. The project strengthens the UK’s long term energy security goals and helps the consumer with lower energy prices.”
The project will be built by RWE on behalf of the partnership with KKR and, once fully operational, would be capable of providing enough electricity to power the equivalent of around 1.5 million UK homes annually. Located more than 45 kilometres off the Norfolk coast, the wind farm will connect to the onshore grid via dedicated export cable infrastructure.
Images of the Vestas v236 turbine being installed at Vanguard West for media use (credit: Vestas) is available at the RWE Media Centre.
Further information about the Norfolk Vanguard projects can be found here.
Editors Notes
1Each turbine has a rotor diameter of 236 metres, swept area of more than 43,000 square metres and a tip height exceeding 260 metres. With a capacity of 15 MW per turbine, the machines are among the most powerful currently available in the global offshore market.
