Swedish developer Vattenfall met with local companies on Tuesday at an event targeting supply-chain partners for its 1.8GW Norfolk Vanguard and 1.8GW Norfolk Boreas offshore wind farms off the UK’s east coast.
The meeting, held at Norwich City Football Club, was organised by the East of England Energy Group and is the first of several ‘meet the buyer’ events planned for the projects.
Companies in attendance included Osbit, Stowen Group, Gee-Force Hydraulics, ION, MCM Crises Response, Next Geosolutions UKCS, Proeon Systems, Rhenus Logistics and PWE Recruitment.
Vattenfall also used the gathering to launch its supply chain information pack for the two projects.
The developer said it is considering splitting contracts for Norfolk Vanguard and Norfolk Boreas into “smaller packages to offer opportunities for local small and medium-sized businesses”.
Vattenfall procurement manager Rob Lilly said: “We are interested in companies prepared to diversify into the offshore wind sector, innovative companies and companies that are truly local, not just international businesses that have a Norfolk address.”
A decision by the UK secretary of state on Norfolk Vanguard, 47km off the Norfolk coast, is due by late 2019. Onshore construction is expected to begin between 2020 and 2021, with offshore work slated for 2023.
The Norfolk Boreas development is scheduled to take place one year behind Vanguard.
Image: Vattenfall
Local view for Norfolk twins
By EBS