The three commercial-scale floating wind projects in the Celtic Sea off the coast of South Wales and Southwest England are ready for their Round 5 auction with The Crown Estate releasing the bidding guidelines this morning (7th December 2023).
The sites will have a combined total capacity of 4.5GW, expecting to be the first phase of commercial development within the region, with a further 12GW of capacity being unlocked as announced by the UK government in November 2023.
Following on from four previous leasing rounds, The Crown Estate have included preparations for upfront investment in important workstreams to de-risk the process for developers and accelerate the deployment of projects. Bidders will also be required to demonstrate commitments for the timely access to the port infrastructure needed to successfully develop their project.
Crown Estate Chief Executive, Dan Labbad said: “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.”
The announcement of the bidding guidelines is a major step forward for floating wind capacity, bringing more jobs, investment and opportunities to people living in Wales, and the rest of the UK.
For more information on the auction, and to stay ahead of the latest jobs to come of it, register with us here.
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