Ocean Winds has secured the third floating offshore wind site in the Celtic Sea, offered through the Crown Estate’s Round 5 auction earlier this year. The developer is joining Equinor and the Gwynt Glas joint venture, which were awarded rights for two of the three sites offered in Round 5 in June.
On 19 November, the Crown Estate said that Ocean Winds was set to be awarded the rights for a third floating offshore wind site in the Celtic Sea.
In June this year, following the auction in which the third site was not assigned, the UK seabed manager stated it would ensure the delivery of the full potential capacity of up to 4.5 GW available through Round 5 through the deployment of a third site.
The Crown Estate says that, since then, it has been actively engaging the market to secure a developer for the third site, and that Ocean Winds secured the area following a direct award process in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023.
Ocean Winds and the Crown Estate will now work towards finalising a lease agreement, which is expected to conclude in Spring 2026.
Equinor and Gwynt Glas, a joint venture between EDF and ESB, entered into lease agreements for their floating wind projects in October.
“I’m incredibly proud that we have delivered on the commitment we made to secure a developer for the third site in the Celtic Sea, and we’re delighted that Ocean Winds will join other world-leading companies to invest in the UK and help establish this pioneering new technology for the long-term benefit of the country” , said Dan Labbad , Chief Executive of The Crown Estate.
Craig Windram, CEO of Ocean Winds, said: “We are proud to be selected for the development rights for this strategic site. With over a decade of experience pioneering floating wind technology, and a proven ability to deliver fixed bottom projects at pace, we are confident in our capabilities to deliver this commercial scale floating project. The project will bring substantial benefits to the UK and play a vital role in the energy transition.”
As part of the tender process for Round 5, bidders were required to set out plans for creating new onshore benefits from the development of the new wind farms. This included committing to creating new apprenticeships, contributing to at least 3.5 per cent of the workforce, and ensuring that a minimum of 10 per cent of employees aged 19-24 are not currently in education, employment or training.
Ocean Winds will be subject to the same conditions, with research showing that the full delivery of Round 5 could lead to the creation of more than 5,000 jobs and deliver a GBP 1.4 billion (around EUR 1.6 billion) boost to the UK economy, according to the Crown Estate.
Ocean Winds will also need to outline which ports it intends to work with to support the final assembly and deployment of the new floating turbines, with Port Talbot and Port of Bristol previously identified as potential locations for this activity.
“Securing a third floating offshore wind site in the Celtic Sea not only strengthens the UK’s position as a global leader in this emerging technology, but also further unlocks the region’s vast potential to deliver our clean power mission and bring down energy bills for good “, said Ed Miliband, UK Energy Secretary.
“Floating offshore wind in the Celtic Sea will drive growth across Wales and the South West, create thousands of skilled jobs in places like Port Talbot and Bristol, bolster our energy security, and power industrial renewal.”