Sheringham Shoal is a landmark in the emergent European offshore wind industry being put together under the watchful eye of development-phase operator StatoilHydro — Norway’s state-run oil-and-gas company. Arrayed in a diamond-shaped layout that covers 35sq km of the area known as the Greater Wash, the £1bn ($1.46bn) wind farm will be one of the five largest off the UK when switched on in 2012.

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