The government has today awarded planning consent for Vattenfall‘s Norfolk Vanguard Offshore wind farm.

The decision follows the consent of 1.8GW Norfolk Boreas Offshore Wind Farm two months ago.

Together, the projects are predicted to produce enough electricity to power the equivalent of 3.9 million homes every year.

Vattenfall said the projects will provide a £15 million community fund to Norfolk.

Danielle Lane, UK Country Manager for Vattenfall, said: “Today is a major step forward for a project that will help to unlock the huge potential of offshore wind for the UK.

“We’re committed to making sure that these projects bring real, lasting benefit to the East of England – with jobs, supply chain and skills investment throughout construction and operation.”

“We’ll be working even more closely now with local communities as we begin to take the project towards construction. This will include preparatory works on the ground, but also work with our local partners to make sure we get our plans absolutely right to maximise benefits to the region.”

Responding to the Energy Secretary’s decision to approve the major offshore wind project, RenewableUK‘s Chief Executive Dan McGrail said: “Today’s decision secures significant investment in much-needed new energy infrastructure at a time when we need to speed up the transition away from expensive fossil fuels to cheap domestic sources of clean energy.

“Building this major project will generate enormous economic benefits for East Anglia, creating high-quality jobs in our world-class offshore wind industry and the wider supply chain nationwide.”