RWE’s Norfolk Vanguard has had its consent tweaked. A non‑material change came into force on 19 December 2025, confirmed by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, naming Norfolk Vanguard West Limited (Company No. 08141115) as undertaker and opening a route to use the Marine Recovery Fund for certain compensation duties inside the Haisborough, Hammond and Winterton Special Area of Conservation. ([gov.uk](Link

Practically, this amends Schedule 17 of the 2022 order for the project. The previous hard stop-clear all marine debris in the SAC before starting cable installation-has been removed. Instead, the developer must keep to a benthic monitoring plan overseen by a steering group and submit results at least annually to the Secretary of State, the Marine Management Organisation and Natural England, with fixes if measures aren’t working. ([legislation.gov.uk](Link

Where debris removal can’t be fully delivered, the order allows the developer to apply to make a Marine Recovery Fund payment agreed with Defra. Once the Secretary of State signs that off-and the contribution is paid or contracted in instalments-the undertaker can be discharged from those specific compensation duties under this part of the DCO. This follows the Energy Act 2023’s ‘strategic compensation’ provisions and the Marine Recovery Funds Regulations 2025. ([legislation.gov.uk](Link

The decision also recognises that Vanguard shares a cable corridor with the neighbouring Norfolk Boreas scheme. Any application to rely on the fund must set out the share of impacts linked to Boreas so that costs and seabed effects aren’t double counted across the two projects. ([legislationtracker.co.uk](Link

Ownership matters for accountability. RWE acquired the Norfolk portfolio from Vattenfall on 21 December 2023 and completed the purchase in March 2024; government notices list RWE Renewables UK for this change, while the revised order fixes responsibility on Norfolk Vanguard West Limited by name and number. ([rwe.com](Link

This isn’t just an East Anglia story. On Teesside, SeAH Wind has a live contract to supply XXL monopiles to Norfolk Vanguard West and East, with production scheduled from 2026-a significant order supporting hundreds of jobs on the South Bank. Keeping Vanguard on programme supports that pipeline. ([seahwind.com](Link

On operations, RWE’s new Grimsby Hub central control room is already set up to watch over offshore fleets round the clock. As the Norfolk Zone builds out later this decade, expect more technicians, service vessels and supply runs along the Humber–Wash arc. ([uk.rwe.com](Link

The environmental context is clear. The HHW SAC protects mobile sandbanks and Sabellaria spinulosa reefs off north‑east Norfolk-habitats sensitive to trenching, rock placement and cable protection. The new mechanism leans on monitoring and, where needed, fund‑backed strategic measures to secure gains at scale. ([sac.jncc.gov.uk](Link

Regulatory housekeeping is happening in parallel. The MMO has varied several marine licences across Vanguard and Boreas as plans firm up, while Norfolk County Council notes Vanguard is currently slated to be operational by mid‑2028 with onshore cabling already well underway. ([gov.uk](Link

For northern manufacturers and ports, the bottom line is risk and schedule. This order doesn’t change turbine numbers, but it clarifies how compensation can be delivered if seabed clean‑ups fall short-reducing uncertainty in a tight build window. Expect wider use of the Marine Recovery Fund as offshore wind scales, and scrutiny to match. ([legislation.gov.uk](Link