Danielle Lane, Vattenfall Head of Market Development Offshore and UK Country Manager has responded to the ruling in the Norfolk Vanguard Judicial Review:

“This is a very disappointing outcome, but it relates to the process for granting consent and is not about the merits of our world class Norfolk Vanguard project.

“Planning consent was awarded in July 2020 after Vattenfall fulfilled all the requirements placed on developers. It’s vital that the Government now acts to redetermine consent, with regard to the judge's ruling, as quickly as possible. That way we can continue to invest in the region and remain on track to begin generating low cost, renewable electricity by the late 2020s. 

“With the expansion in offshore wind that’s required for the UK to reach net zero by 2050, the planning process needs to be able to address and resolve issues much sooner and avoid the uncertainty about whether projects will proceed even after they have planning approval.” 

Commenting on today’s High Court ruling on Vattenfall’s 1.8GW Norfolk Vanguard offshore wind farm project, RenewableUK’s Deputy Chief Executive Melanie Onn said: 
 
"If the UK is serious about achieving the Prime Minister's target of 40 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030, we need major projects like Norfolk Vanguard to go ahead as swiftly as possible. Developing new offshore wind projects will bring billions in new investment to the UK and create tens of thousands of high-quality jobs after the pandemic. 
 
"We hope the Government will examine today's judgement carefully and respond in a way that supports meaningful action against the most dangerous threat to our planet - climate change. This is especially important in the year when we are hosting COP26, as new projects are vital to maintain the UK's global lead in offshore wind".

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