Celtic Sea floating wind

The Crown Estate has announced that it intends to award seabed leases within 2025 to project developers to deliver up to 4.5 GW of floating offshore wind energy in the Celtic Sea.

The Celtic Sea region has been assessed to have the economic potential to accommodate up to an additional 20GW of offshore wind by 2045.

The region’s wealth of wind resources and strong maritime history provide an opportunity to develop commercial-scale floating offshore wind farms, while helping to develop a new floating wind industry through collaboration with the local supply chain.

The Crown Estate has indicated the following timeline for the seabed leasing round in the Celtic Sea. The development timeframe of floating offshore wind will be dependent on the timeline.

In the Celtic Sea, it is not just homes we need to power, but also businesses, service providers, shops, schools – anything that uses energy. South Wales is home to industrial clusters, which include many large consumers of energy in hard-to-abate sectors. Floating offshore wind from the Celtic Sea could provide the electrons and molecules needed to decarbonise some of these sectors.

Equinor is committed to delivering positive impact at a local and regional level. The Celtic Sea presents an opportunity for Wales and the South West of England to develop a competitive floating offshore wind industry, with a concentration of skills, manufacturing capabilities and operational excellence, to lead the UK and Europe forward in floating offshore wind. Based on our pioneering expertise and experience in floating offshore wind, Equinor can deliver ambitious projects in the Celtic Sea, rooted in the creation of local and regional value with opportunities from now into the future.