£12bn Offshore Wind Deal Backs RWE Vanguard Farms in Norfolk

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes · Last updated: 12 November 2026

RWE and KKR have announced £12bn of financing to build two offshore wind farms, Vanguard West and Vanguard East, off the Norfolk coast. The offshore wind deal includes £1bn from the state-owned National Wealth Fund. Work at sea is due to start in early 2027, and full commissioning of both farms is expected in 2030. Prime Minister Andy Burnham called it "a vote of confidence for building in Britain" as he prepared to leave for the Cop31 climate summit in Antalya, Turkey. RWE, a German energy company, puts the pair's combined output at around 2.8 gigawatts, which it says is enough to supply three million homes.

Together with KKR, we are delivering two of the UK's largest offshore wind projects, strengthening domestic electricity generation and making an important contribution to the country's long-term energy security.

Markus Krebber, chief executive, RWE

Vanguard Farms Sit 50 to 80 km Off the Norfolk Coast

The two Vanguard projects lie between 50 and 80 km (31 to 49 miles) offshore. RWE describes them together as one of the UK's largest offshore wind developments, and chief executive Markus Krebber called them two of the country's largest.

Their capacity is measured in gigawatts, a unit for the most power a generator can produce at one moment. RWE's 2.8 gigawatt figure is therefore a rating rather than a promise of constant output, since turbines generate only when the wind blows.

Preparation on land is well under way. RWE says crews have already made significant progress laying onshore cables and building the substations that will connect the farms to the grid.

How RWE Picked Up Sites Vattenfall Had Paused

RWE bought the Vanguard sites in 2023, together with a third offshore site, Norfolk Boreas. Work on Norfolk Boreas had been halted by Vattenfall, which owned the projects at that point.

This financing moves two of those three sites into a funded build about three years after the purchase, with KKR as RWE's partner. The announcement gives no timetable for Norfolk Boreas.

The government says the investment will support more than 2,400 jobs across construction and operation. Burnham linked those roles to coastal communities stretching from Scotland to East Anglia, which he said would benefit from hosting the generation.

Why Ministers Sell the Deal as Energy Security

Burnham framed the farms as protection for billpayers, arguing that each new turbine is power Britain controls rather than power exposed to events far abroad.

The National Wealth Fund's £1bn is the public share. Burnham said the fund invests alongside private capital to build domestic energy and earn a return for the taxpayer; no figure for that return has been published.

Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh tied the deal to Cop31, calling Britain a renewable energy powerhouse. Those are political claims. The measurable tests are the early 2027 start at sea and the 2030 commissioning date.

What could help or hinder Vanguard

The bottom line

The Vanguard financing turns two Norfolk sites into a funded construction programme: £12bn committed, £1bn of it public, and land-based works already advanced. What it does not yet prove is delivery. Offshore construction has not begun, full commissioning is about four years away, and the jobs figure of more than 2,400 is a government estimate spanning both building and running the farms. Two questions remain open: how the National Wealth Fund's return will be judged, and what RWE intends for Norfolk Boreas, the third site it acquired in 2023. The first hard checkpoint is the start of offshore construction in early 2027, when the project moves from paper to sea.

What to watch

• Watch for the start of offshore construction on Vanguard West and Vanguard East, scheduled for early 2027.
• Watch whether both farms reach full commissioning in 2030 as planned.
• Watch for any RWE announcement on Norfolk Boreas, the third site it bought in 2023; no date has been set.