Floating Offshore Wind in the Celtic Sea: Crown Estate Position Paper

A communication circulated by the Crown Estate states that:

The position paper sets out how we intend to:

• • • Unlock up to 4GW of new floating wind capacity in the Celtic Sea by 2035.  Working towards awarding Agreements for Lease for early commercial scale floating wind projects in the Celtic Sea as early as the end of 2023.
    • Conduct an integrated spatial design and Plan-Level Habitats Regulations Assessment process ahead of a market tender to select sites, thereby reducing environmental risk and give developers more certainty.
    • Work with others to support a co-ordinated grid solution, and stimulate investment in port infrastructure, thereby creating opportunities for economic development and mitigate impacts on communities onshore.

We have also set out further detail on our next steps for engagement with market and stakeholders.

This announcement represents an exciting new opportunity to unlock the potential of floating wind technology, and support the development of the UK supply chain, balancing the need to protect the marine environment and deliver on net zero targets.

Further information on the announcement can be found here, and the position paper can be downloaded here.