Norfolk shares its offshore prowess with the USA

If you think of Norfolk, there’s certain associations that will inevitably pop up. We’ve been based here long enough to ignore some of the negative stereotyping of the area, but we know Alan Partridge, Delia Smith, Colman’s mustard and the Norfolk Broads.

Suffolk is a prized county too, with Lowestoft reinventing itself with offshore and tourism to honeypots like Woodbridge, Aldeburgh and Southwold. 

Norfolk and Suffolk are highly regarded as great places to visit and holiday in, as the climate is dry and generally warm and there’s loads to do for visitors – from wonderful rural landscapes to lakes and rivers to fantastic coastal scenery. 

In recent years, Norfolk and Suffolk have developed an excellent reputation with its offshore wind technology and it was thus pleasing to read great news this week. 

If you missed it, here goes.

The New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership has created a Memorandum of Understanding with the City of Virginia Beach. Trade and investment angles are being sought and our eastern know-how is being used to support wind farm development in the States. This landmark agreement was formally signed on 3rd December 2021 too, in Lowestoft, just down the A47 from our Beacon Park base. 

This is not just a signed paper either. It has far more importance locally with Woodbridge’s “Chorus Intelligence” and Great Yarmouth’s “Seajacks” involved, with each opening new bases in Virginia Beach. 

There is too a lot of commonality between the two places, East Anglia and Norfolk USA, apart from the share names. 

Each place sits on the east coast, one on the Atlantic, the other facing the North Sea. Virginia Beach was one of the first settlements in the US. Cape Henry was the site of the first landing of colonists in 1607.  It also has the longest pleasure beach in the world. 

It is now pioneering again, this time with two test turbines. These are going to be constructed 27 mils offshore by Dominion Energy at a cost of $8 billion. Eventually 180 wind turbines will be in place to generate 2,640 megawatts of energy that will power up to 660,000 homes. Virginia Beach City has a population of 450,000 and Norwich close to HSEQ-460, has over 200,000 – so it will power the equivalent of these two cities.

There is great anticipation for this project and Jim Wood, Commission Chair of Virginia Beach City Council states:

“This Commission will generate programming to raise the visibility of Virginia Beach as a center for the study, development, production and promotion of renewable clean energy. This is a great opportunity for the entire region and we are eager to support this industry by attracting potential partners and businesses looking to invest in the future of this energy resource.”

Pharrell Williams, singer of “Happy” was born and raised in Virginia Beach.

Perhaps it’s fitting then to end with this, rather than a clip of Alan Partridge?