Crown Estate identifies areas of search to develop floating offshore wind

Article summary

The Crown Estate has identified five ‘areas of search’ to support the growth of floating offshore wind across the Celtic Sea, which is naturally rich in resources including ‘world-class wind resource that can be developed with floating turbines’. The Crown Estate sees this as a significant milestone that helps build greater capacity in the future, while also supporting the UK in achieving its renewable energy targets and driving economic development. The areas of search were identified after technical analysis and extensive engagement between stakeholders, where such areas are intended to deliver 4 GW of floating offshore wind power by 2035. The Crown Estate will also be tendering larger, 1 GW-scale projects for development in a phased or ‘stepping stone’ approach that is deliberately intended to provide greater opportunities for investment in the supply chain and to facilitate the co-ordination of supporting infrastructure in recognition of UK’s aims to develop competitive technology...