Andy Burnham has welcomed a £12bn offshore wind investment as he prepares to attend the Cop31 climate summit in Turkey, with his government facing scrutiny over recent energy decisions. The funding, announced on Wednesday, will come from German energy company RWE and US private equity firm KKR to develop the Vanguard West and Vanguard East windfarms off the Norfolk coast.
The projects will also receive £1bn from the state-owned national wealth fund. Construction is scheduled to start early next year, and the windfarms are expected to supply electricity by 2030. The government said it believed the investment was the largest of its kind in UK history. Burnham described the package as a “vote of confidence for building in Britain” and said expanding British-controlled power generation would reduce exposure to events overseas.
RWE said Vanguard would rank among the UK’s biggest offshore wind developments, generating about 2.8 gigawatts, enough electricity to supply 3m homes. The company estimated that construction would create and support 2,300 jobs annually across its supply chain. Once the windfarms are operating, they are expected to provide another 100 permanent, long-term positions.
A separate announcement on Wednesday came from energy company SSE, which said the latest phase of its Berwick Bank B offshore windfarm, off Scotland’s east coast, would support 2,600 existing jobs. Energy secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh said investment in wind and other clean power was helping to rebuild industry and create jobs while providing the electricity needed to bring down bills and achieve net zero.
The announcements come ahead of Burnham’s expected speech at Cop31 on Thursday, as he seeks to strengthen the government’s environmental standing. Labour MPs and environmental campaigners have criticised the decision to approve the Jackdaw gasfield in the North Sea. Burnham said communities hosting energy developments, from Scotland to East Anglia, would benefit from the employment and opportunities they bring.
The government also rejected a major renewable energy proposal on Tuesday. Fahnbulleh refused permission for the £800m Botley West solar project near the Blenheim Palace estate, which would have become Britain’s largest solar plant. The development would have occupied almost 3,500 acres, and its developers said it could have supplied enough electricity for 330,000 homes.
Explaining that decision in a letter on Fahnbulleh’s behalf, Margaret Curran said the solar development would cause substantial harm to the green belt and the Blenheim Estate. The estate includes Blenheim Palace, a world heritage site and Winston Churchill’s birthplace.
