The Secretary of State has approved a non‑material change to the Norfolk Boreas Offshore Wind Farm consent, made on 18 December 2025 and in force from 19 December. The update confirms Norfolk Boreas Limited as the undertaker, corrects minor co‑ordinates and definitions, and formalises an adaptive route to deliver seabed compensation linked to cable works.

The Haisborough, Hammond and Winterton Special Area of Conservation (HHW SAC) is a 1,467.59 km² protected site off north‑east Norfolk. It safeguards Annex I sandbanks and areas of Sabellaria spinulosa reef-habitats highly sensitive to seabed disturbance from cables and protection measures. Improving the site’s condition is the aim of the project’s benthic compensation.

The order removes a fixed pre‑condition that had blocked cable installation until a set area of marine debris was cleared, replacing it with a smarter approach. If debris‑clearance targets cannot be met, the undertaker may apply to make a Marine Recovery Fund Payment instead, subject to the Secretary of State’s approval and confirmation from Defra on the sum due. An implementation and monitoring plan must still be signed off before any works in the HHW SAC proceed.

Monitoring is strengthened rather than relaxed. Results must be submitted at least annually to the Secretary of State, the Marine Management Organisation and the statutory nature conservation body, with corrective proposals required if measures are not improving site condition. A completion report is due within 12 months of finishing activities under the benthic implementation and monitoring plan, overseen by a benthic steering group.

The Marine Recovery Fund (MRF) exists in law under section 292 of the Energy Act 2023. It allows payments for strategic compensation where appropriate and, crucially, enables a payment to discharge part of a consent’s compensation condition if the relevant authority agrees. This creates a formal mechanism to pool actions across projects and deliver bigger ecological wins at sea.

For delivery teams, the change reduces schedule risk during short weather windows or when debris removal proves infeasible, without weakening environmental outcomes. The compliance path remains clear: plan, monitor, report, and-if necessary-pay into the MRF to fund measures that deliver equivalent or greater habitat gains.

Context matters. RWE now owns and is developing the Norfolk Zone-Boreas plus Vanguard East and West-totalling 4.2 GW and marketed as enough clean power for around four million UK homes. Vattenfall completed the sale in March 2024, with RWE listing Boreas as a 1.4 GW project within the zone.

Strategic compensation funded through the MRF could support actions suitable for North Sea habitats-such as restoring biogenic reef structure or safeguarding sandbank function-aligned with expert advice and evidence from government and conservation bodies. The intent is to secure measurable improvements for the HHW SAC rather than box‑ticking.

Accountability is baked in. The undertaker is discharged from further delivery obligations only once the Secretary of State approves the completion report or confirms that the full Marine Recovery Fund Payment (or the first instalment under a contract) satisfies compensation requirements. Payment schedules and any conditions attached to the contract still apply.

Bottom line for readers tracking UK offshore wind and marine recovery: the order is live from 19 December 2025. Watch for the approved implementation and monitoring plan, annual monitoring outputs, and any confirmed Marine Recovery Fund contribution as indicators that the compensation package is on track.