Greenpeace activists have dropped approximately 15 tonnes of boulders onto the seabed at the site of a planned £12bn offshore windfarm in the North Sea, potentially delaying one of the UK's biggest renewable energy projects. The boulders, each weighing up to 2 tonnes, were placed off the Norfolk coast as part of a campaign against bottom trawling, a fishing method that activists say damages the seabed. The underwater barrier was created to protect harbour porpoises in what is described as one of the most heavily trawled areas of the southern North Sea.
The timing of the boulder placement created an unexpected complication for the Norfolk Vanguard project, which was announced days after the Prime Minister told the Cop31 summit that the UK would invest £1bn of public money in the Vanguard West and Vanguard East windfarms. The Guardian understands that Greenpeace checked the seabed for existing cables, pipelines and shipwrecks before dropping the boulders but was not aware of the windfarm plans. Some of the boulders bear signatures from celebrities including Simon Pegg and Benedict Cumberbatch, who support marine conservation efforts.
RWE, the German utility company developing the windfarm, is in talks with Greenpeace to verify the exact location of the boulders so the company can update seabed surveys begun last summer. A spokesman for RWE described the communication as constructive and said the company would continue investigating the potential implications for the Norfolk Vanguard East project and its undersea cables. The boulders are likely to be removed within months as the renewable energy developers prepare to begin construction next year.
Will McCallum, co-executive director of Greenpeace UK, described suggestions that the boulders would genuinely obstruct the windfarm as absurd. He noted that energy companies routinely move naturally occurring boulders from the North Sea seabed before building windfarms, and that some natural boulders can be 10 times heavier than those placed by Greenpeace. McCallum said Greenpeace remains committed to championing offshore wind while the boulders provide a barrier against bottom trawlers in the protected area.
For UK investors, borrowers and savers, delays to major renewable energy projects backed by £1bn of public investment could affect energy supply timelines and associated infrastructure financing in the coming years.