Norwegian utility Statkraft has fired the starting gun on the sale of its stakes in the Dudgeon and Sheringham Shoal UK offshore wind farms, as it pulls back from the sector.

Statkraft will launch the sales process this month and expects “conclusions” by late this year or early 2018, a company spokesman told Recharge.

The Norwegian group owns a 30% stake in the 402MW Dudgeon project, which is in the final stages of construction, and 40% of the 317MW Sheringham Shoal, which has been operating since 2012.