RWE takes lion’s share of UK offshore wind projects

The news follows this week that the UK government has published record-breaking results in its seventh auction (AR7), with 8.4GW of offshore wind being awarded in what it says is Europe’s biggest ever offshore wind auction.

“We are delighted to have been successful in securing long-term offtake contracts for five projects in AR7,” said Markus Krebber, CEO of RWE.

“In addition, we are excited to join forces with KKR as our strategic partner in the Norfolk Vanguard East and Norfolk Vanguard West offshore wind projects.”

Large slice of the pie

The awards, confirmed on 14 January 2026 under the UK government’s Allocation Round 7, cover five offshore wind developments in the North Sea and Irish Sea at a strike price of GB£91.20 per megawatt hour.

These projects include Norfolk Vanguard East and West, Dogger Bank South East and West and Awel y Môr, all receiving 20-year, inflation-indexed CfDs from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

The Dogger Bank South East and West, with a total generating capacity of 3GW – were made to RWE, despite the company recently announcing that a final decision had been postponed for three months to “allow time to request further information that was not provided for consideration during the examination period and to give all interested parties the opportunity to review and comment on such information.”

Alongside the CfD awards, RWE has agreed a long-term partnership with global investment firm KKR to jointly develop, construct and operate the Norfolk Vanguard East and West projects.

KKR will acquire a 50% equity stake in each project, with transaction close expected in summer 2026, subject to approvals.

The Norfolk Vanguard projects total 3.1 GW and are located 50 to 80 kilometres off the Norfolk coast, with commissioning expected in 2029 and 2030. RWE has launched non-recourse project finance processes ahead of final investment decisions targeted for summer 2026.

Dogger Bank South, developed with Masdar, adds a further 3 GW and is scheduled for commissioning between 2031 and 2032.

Collectively, the developments will power millions of UK homes and support wider energy system transformation, including port electrification strategies linked to offshore wind logistics, container handling infrastructure and the growing deployment of electric crane technologies at commercial marine hubs.