The UK's Crown Estate has secured leases for six offshore wind projects that are expected to generate around 8 GW of clean energy by the end of 2030, which will provide power for over seven million households.
The projects include RWE's Dogger Bank South West and Dogger Bank South East, Green Investment Group and TotalEnergies' Outer Dowsing, BP and EnBW's Mona and Morgan projects, and Cobra and Flotation Energy's Morecambe wind farm.
Three offshore wind projects are located in the North Sea off the coast of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, while the remaining three are off the coast of North Wales, Cumbria, and Lancashire.
The lease agreement for these projects has a maximum term of ten years. The total yearly commitment for all six projects is approximately £1bn, and it is expected that the agreements will allow the developers to move forward with their plans.
These offshore projects have the potential to contribute to the UK government's goal of 50GW of offshore wind capacity by the end of the decade.
According to Crown Estate CEO Dan Labbad, “The UK's offshore wind achievements to date are nothing short of remarkable, and this next generation of projects point to an even more exciting and dynamic future.”
“They demonstrate the far-reaching value that our world-class offshore wind sector can deliver for the nation: homegrown energy for all, jobs and investment for communities, revenue for the taxpayer, clean energy for the benefit of the environment and a considerate, sustainable approach which respects our rich biodiversity.
“Moving forward, working with our stakeholders to continue unlocking this value is what drives us, and we are more committed than ever to lead the way in ensuring this important benefit is realised for our environment and for the nation.”
According to the lease agreement, The Crown Estate will collect an annual option fee from each project developer until they are ready to enter into a lease for the seabed site.
