Image description: A row of offshore wind turbines on the horizon. Image by Thomas G. / Pixabay.
Offshore wind supply chain and port infrastructure set for £15m boost
The second round of The Crown Estate’s innovative Supply Chain Accelerator is focused on funding for crucial development of manufacturing facilities and port infrastructure to enable swifter deployment of offshore wind around the UK.
Followingon from the initial funding round in 2024 The Crown Estate has allocated £15m for the next round of the programme which seeks to kick-start investments in UK offshore wind-related port infrastructure and supply chain facilities. The Crown Estate established the £50m Supply Chain Accelerator last year to accelerate and de-risk the early-stage development of UK supply chain projects servicing the offshore wind sector.
Government approves huge Sussex offshore windfarm extension
The UK government recently approved plans to build an offshore windfarm capable of powering around 1 million British homes before 2030. The Rampion 2 Offshore Wind Farm will see a further 90 turbines erected near an existing site of 116 turbines off the Sussex coast. The extension is expected to add about 1.2 gigawatts of clean power for British households and businesses. The windfarm is also anticipated to create 4,000 jobs in the construction phase of the project, which is expected to begin next year.
Celtic Sea floating offshore wind farm plans reach new milestone
The Crown Estate, which manages the seabed around England, Wales and Northern Ireland, has announced plans for a new generation of floating wind farms off the coasts of Wales and South West England have reached a new milestone, as the leasing round for three sites in the Celtic Sea entered its final stages.
Known as Offshore Wind Leasing Round 5, the process is expected to award rights for three new floating wind farms in the Celtic Sea, capable of generating enough renewable energy to power more than four million homes (up to 5.4 GW) with turbines up to 300 meters tall sitting on floating platforms roughly the same size as a football pitch.
Bidders for the project rights were required to submit proposals for developing the new wind farms, present plans for creating new employment and economic opportunities in their chosen area, and explore how they would collaborate with local ports in Wales and South West England for the assembly and deployment of the new turbines.
Research published last year by The Crown Estate showed these new wind farms could support the creation of more than 5,000 jobs and deliver a £1.4 billion boost to the economy, with further opportunities through the supply chain.
Evaluation of these proposals from the first stage of the tender (known as ITT Stage 1) has concluded with successful bidders invited to progress to the final stage (ITT Stage 2), said The Crown Estate. An auction for the three project sites is expected to take place later this spring, with the winners of these auctions expected to sign their leasing agreement this summer.