Statoil and Statkraft to start Dudgeon offshore wind power project

Statoil and Statkraft have decided to start building the 402MW Dudgeon Offshore Wind Farm off the coast of Norfolk, UK.

On 17 October 2012 Statoil and Statkraft acquired the Dudgeon Offshore Wind Farm project through the acquisition of all shares in Dudgeon Offshore Wind Limited, a subsidiary of the UK energy company Warwick Energy Limited. Dudgeon received an offshore consent that allows for up to 560 MW of installed generation capacity.

The Dudgeon development will now move into a new phase, starting with construction of onshore cables and onshore substation. Offshore construction will start in 2016.

The total investment in Dudgeon is estimated to be £1.5 billion (US$2.57 billion). The Dudgeon owners are preparing for a partnership structure reflecting this investment level. Statkraft’s 30% share of the investment amounts to £450 million.

Statkraft’s senior vice president, Offshore Wind, Olav Hetland stated:

The Dudgeon project is a profitable investment, will deliver significant amounts of clean, affordable power to the UK market, and provides an excellent basis for Statkraft to further develop our capabilities within the maturing offshore wind industry.

UK Energy Minister Michael Fallon stated:

UK is attracting millions of pounds of investment, supporting hundreds of local green jobs and strengthening its energy supply with home-grown sources. We have already attracted £34 billion of private sector investment in renewable electricity since 2010, with the potential to create almost 37,000 jobs in the UK.

Dudgeon Offshore Wind Farm will be constructed with 67 wind turbines, each with a capacity of 6 MW, totalling 402 MW installed generation capacity. The annual energy production is estimated to be 1.7 TWh. The North Sea project site is located 32 km offshore, north of the town of Cromer in North Norfolk, and 20 km north-east of the Sheringham Shoal Offshore Wind Farm.