“Since contracting services through Lexi, she has supported our projects commitments through a seamless integration into the team that has seen her deliver beyond our expectations. Often taking a proactive approach and tabling exciting solutions, many of which have been instrumental in making our project a success.”

Denise Hone, Senior Stakeholder Manager at RWE

Client Overview:

RWE is a global leader in renewable energy, spearheading one of the UK’s largest offshore wind initiatives. The Norfolk Zone Project comprising 76 offshore wind turbines located 43 km off the UK coast, the project is set to deliver 4.2 GW of electricity, powering up to 4 million homes across the country. With a 76 km onshore cable route, the project has a wide-reaching impact across both offshore and onshore landscapes during its construction phase.

The Challenge:

Given the scale and complexity of the Norfolk Zone Project, strategic communication was essential to inform and engage a broad range of stakeholders-from national regulatory bodies to local communities impacted by construction. Communications needed to be precise, transparent, and fully aligned with the project’s Development Consent Order (DCO) commitments, which regulate tone, content, and delivery.

The Strategic Approach:

A tailored communications strategy was developed and executed to support both RWE’s corporate communications team and the local stakeholder engagement team throughout the construction phase.

Key areas of focus included:

Integrated Stakeholder Communications

The strategy bridged national and local communications through close collaboration across multiple stakeholder levels.

Key elements:

• Coordination with both corporate and local project teams to ensure consistent, compliant messaging.

• Development of materials that translated complex project information into accessible, audience-specific updates.

• Management of communications for diverse audiences including government stakeholders, local authorities, landowners, and community groups.

Deep Project Immersion:

Effective communication required a deep and evolving understanding of the project’s technical scope, infrastructure, and the local social and environmental context.

Strategic priorities included:

• Familiarisation with every stage of construction-both onshore and offshore-to accurately convey developments and impacts.

• Liaison with project partners and contractors to ensure messaging reflected live conditions and coordinated milestones.

• Sensitive handling of geographically specific concerns along the 76 km cable corridor.

Regulatory Alignment and Brand Consistency:

Given the project's visibility and regulatory obligations, strict alignment with DCO parameters and RWE’s brand standards was essential.

Delivery included:

• Development of all public-facing communications within the framework of DCO-mandated commitments.

• Maintenance of brand voice and tone across all formats—from press releases and stakeholder updates to community bulletins and web content.

• Rigorous approval and compliance processes built into the communications workflow.

The Outcome:

The collaborative, detail-oriented approach to strategic communications delivered measurable value throughout the construction phase:

Strengthened trust and transparency with local communities through accessible, consistent updates.

Positive engagement with national stakeholders, supporting RWE’s broader reputation as a responsible renewable energy provider.

Streamlined internal coordination across stakeholder engagement teams, enabling efficient and compliant messaging throughout complex phases of the build.

Conclusion:

The Norfolk Zone Project represents one of the most ambitious offshore wind developments in the UK. Supporting such a vast infrastructure initiative required more than communication—it demanded a strategic partnership grounded in knowledge, sensitivity, and regulatory precision. The approach taken ensured all stakeholders remained informed, engaged, and confident in the project’s progression.