New wind farm exhibit is ready to welcome North Norfolk’s visitors
As the UK marks 25 years of offshore wind, there is an air of excitement and enthusiasm in the seaside town of Sheringham, North Norfolk as some 50 guests gathered on the East Promenade to celebrate the formal opening of ‘Windscape’ at Sheringham Museum.
Windscape is the newly refurbished Visitor Centre for the Sheringham Shoal and Dudgeon Offshore Wind Farms, both operated by energy company Equinor. The exhibit allows local visitors to connect with the story of the wind farms, whilst also learning more about the increasing amount of renewable energy in East Anglia’s energy mix. The Visitor Centre first opened in early 2011, since when it has established itself as an important Norfolk visitor attraction and learning centre, welcoming some 150,000 visitors over the last 14 years. The refurbishment features more hands-on interactives, video content, as well as binoculars and telescopes bringing you closer to the wind farms out at sea!
Lisa Little, Curator of the Sheringham Museum performed the opening ribbon- cutting ceremony, and after a brief speech of welcomes and thanks by the Plant Managers at the two wind farms the guests are able to take their first look at Windscape’ s six new information and activity zones which form a bright updated display space, designed to appeal to all age groups.
After touring the Windscape exhibit, Equinor’s Sophie Skipp, Stakeholder Manager, said:
“This exhibit certainly takes visitors on an exciting journey of discovery into offshore wind energy, but it is not just about telling the story of these wind farms and the positive impact they have had on the local community; it’s also an opportunity for visitors to better understand our work, including the wide range and breadth of careers they can aspire to.”
Melissa Read, Head of Regional Development UK, added:
“I loved how the food and drink was prepared and served by About with Friends, a North Norfolk charity which has received grant support from the Sheringham Shoal Community Fund. The Sheringham Shoal and Dudgeon Community Funds have already awarded grants valued at £1.65m, and they will continue to support many community projects in the years ahead.”
Windscape features interactive films, touchscreens, dress-up area and innovative graphic displays designed to help visitors understand the energy transition, whilst explaining how wind energy through Norfolk’s heritage is now helping power its future.
Although there is an admission charge to Sheringham Museum (www.sheringhammuseum.co.uk), Windscape is free to enter and is open from 10:00am – 4:30pm Monday to Saturday, closed on Sundays.
About Equinor in Norfolk
Equinor is a long-term partner for Norfolk and has been an active member of the community for over a decade through the Sheringham Shoal and Dudgeon wind farms it operates off the Norfolk coast.
The Dudgeon Offshore Wind Farm is owned by Equinor, Masdar and China Resources Consortium, whilst Sheringham Shoal Offshore Wind Farm is owned by Equinor, a subsidiary of Equitix Offshore 3 Limited (co-owned by funds managed by Equitix and The Renewables Infrastructure Group (TRIG)) and Macquarie Asset Management (via Macquarie GIG Renewable Energy Fund 1).
On behalf of its partners, Equinor is maturing the proposed Sheringham Shoal and Dudgeon Extension projects. Following unitisation of the two, the Extensions project will double the capacity of the existing Sheringham Shoal and Dudgeon wind farms, providing renewable energy to power an additional 785,000 UK homes and making an important contribution to the UK’s decarbonisation goals.
Currently, the combined output of Sheringham Shoal and Dudgeon wind farms is sufficient to power around 710,000 UK homes, and the proposed extensions will increase that to nearly 1.5 million UK households.
Both wind farms have established community funds which in total have awarded over £1.65 million to projects in Norfolk. The funds were set up to provide grants to Norfolk community groups, including schools and charities, seeking financial assistance for projects or initiatives that meet key criteria and focus on renewable energy, marine environment and safety, sustainability, or education in these areas. During 2020, the funds provided grant funding to the Norfolk Community Foundation’s COVID-19 funding initiatives, and during 2021 grant funding has been made available to support Norfolk’s ‘every child on-line’ initiative.
Issue date: 14-05-25
For media enquiries, please contact:
Alice Baxter
UK Media Relations Manager, Equinor
abax@equinor.com
+44 7557973941
For consultation or community enquiries, please contact:
Nigel Tompkins, the Projects’ Community Liaison Officer based in Norfolk,
E-mail: nigel@ni4b.co.uk