Crown Estate moves forward with floating wind farm off North Devon coast

The Crown Estate is advancing its Offshore Wind Leasing Round 5, aimed at creating new floating wind farms in the Celtic Sea, near South Wales and South West England. 

The site is situated north of the North Devon coast. 

These wind farms could produce enough clean energy to power over 4 million homes and generate thousands of jobs.

It’s important to understand The Crown Estate’s role in this process. 

The Crown Estate is responsible for managing the seabed around England and Northern Ireland.

They identify and lease out areas of the seabed where wind farms can be built, but they do not design the wind farms themselves.  

Instead, they lease these sites to companies, known as bidders, who will then plan, build, and operate the wind farms.

Currently, bidders are submitting their proposals for how they will develop these floating wind farms. 

The Crown Estate told the Gazette that they have already done extensive environmental and geological surveys to ensure the sites are suitable. 

However, the final details of the wind farms will depend on the plans submitted by the bidders.

A spokesperson from The Crown Estate explained to the Gazette that their role is to find and lease the right areas for wind farms. 

They also clarified that The Crown Estate does not control the design of the grid infrastructure that will connect these wind farms to the electricity network. 

This aspect is managed by the Electricity System Operator (ESO).

This week, the ESO published its Celtic Sea network design recommendation, which provides a plan for how the new wind farms will connect to the UK's electricity grid.

When the Gazette asked how many companies are currently bidding for these sites, The Crown Estate stated that this information is classified.

This leasing round is the first to include a recommended plan for connecting the new wind farms to the grid, in relation to the ESO’s recent publication. 

This will help bidders understand how their projects will be integrated into the national grid.

As the process continues, bidders must also show how their projects will benefit local communities, including creating jobs and supporting environmental sustainability. 

The Crown Estate estimates that these wind farms could generate over 5,000 new jobs and contribute £1.4 billion to the economy.

This phase in the Celtic Sea is part of the UK’s broader efforts to expand its clean energy infrastructure. 

A new partnership between Great British Energy and The Crown Estate aims to speed up these projects, supported by new legislation that enhances The Crown Estate’s role in offshore wind development.

Gus Jaspert, Managing Director, Marine, at The Crown Estate, said: “The UK’s offshore wind industry is a global success story, supporting tens of thousands of jobs and contributing billions to the UK economy.

“Floating offshore wind presents a new transformative opportunity for the country, the region around the Celtic Sea and the marine environment. We look forward to working with industry, governments and local communities to ensure the potential of this new technology is truly realised.” 

Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary, Ed Miliband, said: “Floating offshore wind is a world-leading technology that can play a vital role in our efforts to boost energy independence, create good jobs, and tackle the climate crisis.

“Already, The Crown Estate has formed an exciting new partnership with Great British Energy, and this latest leasing round offers even more opportunities to deliver these projects.”

With Round 5 expected to lead to more floating wind projects, up to 12 gigawatts of additional capacity is planned for the Celtic Sea.

Later this summer, The Crown Estate will outline its vision for the future of the UK’s offshore wind industry.