The giant offshore windfarms backed by Prime Minister Andy Burnham this week may face unexpected delays after Greenpeace activists unwittingly dumped about 15 tonnes of boulders on to the site earmarked for one of the UK's biggest planned windfarms, the Norfolk Vanguard East project, as part of a campaign against seabed trawling.
Greenpeace created the "boulder barrier" to safeguard harbour porpoises off the Norfolk coast by dropping giant stone blocks, each weighing up to 2 tonnes, on to the sea floor to prevent a method of fishing known as bottom trawling. The group began dumping boulders on to the site, without consent from the marine authority, days before the prime minister told the Cop31 summit that the UK would invest £1bn of public money in the Vanguard West and Vanguard East windfarms in what is believed to be the biggest investment of its kind in UK history.
The Guardian understands that Greenpeace checked the seabed for any existing cables, pipelines or shipwrecks, but was not aware of the plans to build the Vanguard East windfarm. The creation of the underwater barrier in one of "the most heavily trawled" areas of the southern North Sea was timed to coincide with the premiere of the BBC's Blue Planet III documentary, narrated by Sir David Attenborough. Some boulders bear the signatures of celebrities including Simon Pegg and Benedict Cumberbatch, who agreed to support the Greenpeace campaign.
However, the boulders are likely to be removed within months after renewable energy developers agreed a £12bn deal alongside the UK government to begin building the offshore windfarm next year. Industrial fishing activities, including bottom trawling, are also likely to move elsewhere to avoid the construction area.
The Guardian understands that the offshore wind developer, the German utility company RWE, is in talks with Greenpeace to verify the exact placement of the boulders so that they can update the seabed surveys they began last summer. The company is also investigating any potential impact to the construction of the project or its undersea cables.
A spokesperson for RWE described its communication with Greenpeace as "constructive" and said the company would "continue to investigate the precise implications" for the Norfolk Vanguard East project.
Will McCallum, the co-executive director of Greenpeace UK, said any suggestion that the boulders would cause a genuine obstacle was "absurd". "Anyone familiar with offshore wind in the North Sea knows that energy companies routinely move naturally occurring boulders from the seabed before building windfarms," he said. "Some of these boulders can be 10 times heavier than those we placed. Greenpeace has long championed offshore wind and will continue to do so. While we wait for this windfarm to be built, our boulders will provide an essential barrier to destructive bottom trawlers that are decimating the seabed in this protected area."
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The £12bn Norfolk Vanguard project is one of the UK's biggest windfarm investments and a flagship of the government's green energy push; a delay could affect energy security targets and investor confidence.
- The incident highlights a clash between two environmental goals: protecting marine habitats from bottom trawling and rapidly expanding offshore wind capacity.
- Talks between RWE and Greenpeace will determine whether the boulders can be moved quickly or require a more complex clearance process.
Background
Greenpeace dropped 15 tonnes of boulders on the seabed off Norfolk without marine authority consent, aiming to prevent destructive bottom trawling and coincide with the BBC's Blue Planet III documentary. Days later, Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced £1bn of public money for the Vanguard West and East windfarms at the Cop31 summit. The boulders were placed on the site of Vanguard East, which the group had not checked against windfarm plans.
Key Perspectives
RWE (spokesperson): described its communication with Greenpeace as "constructive" and said it would "continue to investigate the precise implications" for the Norfolk Vanguard East project.
Greenpeace UK (Will McCallum, co-executive director): called any suggestion the boulders would cause a genuine obstacle "absurd", noting that energy companies routinely move naturally occurring boulders up to 10 times heavier than those placed; said the boulders will provide an essential barrier to destructive bottom trawlers in the meantime.
What to Watch
- The outcome of RWE's talks with Greenpeace to verify exact boulder positions and update seabed surveys.
- Whether RWE confirms a delay to the start of construction next year or announces a timeline for boulder removal.
- Any reaction from the Marine Management Organisation over the unauthorised dumping of boulders.
Checked
9 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 7 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedMcCallum said offshore wind companies routinely move naturally occurring seabed boulders before building windfarms.World news | The Guardian: ““Anyone familiar with offshore wind in the North Sea knows that energy companies routinely move naturally occurring boulders from the seabed before building windfarms,” he said.”
- SupportedThe RWE spokesperson called its communication with Greenpeace “constructive” and said it would “continue to investigate the precise implications”.World news | The Guardian: “A spokesperson for RWE described its communication with Greenpeace as “constructive” and said the company would “continue to investigate the precise implications” for the Norfolk Vanguard East project.”
- SupportedGreenpeace boulders may delay building of £12bn North Sea windfarms.World news | The Guardian: “Greenpeace boulders may delay building of £12bn windfarms in North Sea.”
- Partly supportedGreenpeace dumped about 15 tonnes of boulders on the site earmarked for the Norfolk Vanguard East project.World news | The Guardian: “Greenpeace activists unwittingly dumped about 15 tonnes of boulders on to the site as part of a campaign against seabed trawling in the North Sea. The barrier will pose an additional challenge for the green energy developers because most of the boulders were dropped on to the site earmarked for one of the UK’s biggest planned windfarms, known as the Norfolk Vanguard project.”
- Partly supportedThe activists dumped the boulders without knowing of plans to build the Vanguard East windfarm.World news | The Guardian: “The Guardian understands that Greenpeace checked the seabed for any existing cables, pipelines or shipwrecks, but it was not aware of the plans to build the Vanguard East windfarm.”
- SupportedThe windfarms backed by Prime Minister Andy Burnham this week may face unexpected delays.World news | The Guardian: “The giant offshore windfarms backed by Andy Burnham this week may face unexpected stumbling blocks”
- SupportedGreenpeace began dumping boulders without marine-authority consent days before the prime minister’s Cop31 announcement of £1bn in public investment for Vanguard West and Vanguard East.World news | The Guardian: “Greenpeace began dumping boulders on to the site, without consent from the marine authority, days before the prime minister told the Cop31 summit that the UK would invest £1bn of public money in the Vanguard West and Vanguard East windfarms”
- SupportedThe £1bn investment was believed to be the biggest of its kind in UK history.World news | The Guardian: “the UK would invest £1bn of public money in the Vanguard West and Vanguard East windfarms in what is believed to be the biggest investment of its kind in UK history”
- SupportedRenewable-energy developers agreed a £12bn deal alongside the UK government to begin building the offshore windfarm next year.World news | The Guardian: “they are likely to be removed within months after renewable energy developers agreed a £12bn deal alongside the UK government to begin building the offshore windfarm next year.”