Huge windfarm to be built off the South West Coast

The King’s Crown Estate has set out details for huge floating windfarms of the coast of the South West.

The royal landowner said floating turbines are to be deployed on a commercial scale for the first time in the Celtic Sea.

The organisation, which owns the seabed around England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, said the leasing for three commercial-scale floating wind projects in the Celtic Sea off the coast of South Wales and South West England have the potential to deliver enough clean, renewable energy for more than four million homes.

This latest leasing programme will be known as Round 5 which have helped establish the UK as one of the leading offshore wind markets in the world, with almost half as much operational capacity as the rest of Europe combined.

Dan Labbad, chief executive of The Crown Estate said: “The UK’s offshore market is one of the most successful in the world and floating wind is the next chapter in this exciting story, backed up by recent support from UK Government to unlock further important capacity over the coming years.

“At its core, The Crown Estate’s role is to serve the country by using its land and seabed to create the best value we can for the nation and for future generations – including social, environmental and financial. This means drawing on the skills, knowledge and input from our full range of stakeholders as we seek to play our part in responding to some of the biggest challenges, whether that’s climate change, nature loss or enabling economic growth.

“This approach has underpinned the development of Round 5, which is the culmination of years of engagement across governments, environmental bodies, industry and other stakeholders. As the collaboration and partnerships that have brought us this far continue, this opportunity stands to be a game-changer for business and communities associated with these projects, as we realise the full potential of floating wind in the Celtic Sea and beyond.”

Minister of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Graham Stuart added: “Floating offshore wind is a huge opportunity for Wales and the South West, with the potential to deliver billions of pounds of direct investment whilst bolstering our energy independence and net zero ambitions.

“Today’s plans will build on the Government’s ambition to deploy up to 5GW of floating offshore wind by 2030. Together with The Crown Estate I look forward to bringing more capacity online, through our plans to see up to 16GW deployed in the Celtic Sea through the 2030s.”