The Crown Estate has confirmed that it will proceed with its capacity increase programme, enhancing the potential of seven existing offshore wind farms in the UK. This move follows earlier requests from developers who were awarded rights during the Crown Estate’s offshore leasing Round 3 and the 2017 Extensions round.
The decision will raise the total capacity of the projects by an additional 4.7GW, including significant expansions at RWE’s 1.1GW Awel y Mor offshore wind farm in Wales and the 1.2GW Rampion 2 project off the southern coast of England. Other projects, such as Equinor’s 719MW Sheringham Shoal and Dudgeon extensions off Norfolk, are also included in the capacity boost.
The Crown Estate said the increase aligns with the UK government’s ambition to deploy up to 50GW of total installed capacity in UK waters by 2030. In making the decision, The Crown Estate conducted a Habitats Regulations Assessment to evaluate the potential effects of the capacity increases on protected marine habitats. Following the assessment, it recommended to the Secretary of State for Energy & Net Zero that the programme proceed with a derogation, alongside compensation measures to mitigate any impacts on marine habitats and species. The Secretary of State has agreed with this recommendation.
Gus Jaspert, Managing Director of CE Marine, emphasized the national benefits of the project, stating, “Our purpose is to create lasting and shared prosperity for the nation. Offshore wind enables us to do that as a driver of economic growth through job creation and supply chain development. Delivering the Capacity Increase Programme is an effective way to provide up to four million homes with secure, clean energy and further decrease the UK’s reliance on fossil fuels.”
The Crown Estate’s decision has received positive reactions from the offshore wind industry. Kat Route-Stephens, Offshore Wind Environment and Consents Co-Programme Manager at RenewableUK, remarked, “This is a great step forward towards the Government’s target of clean power by 2030 as it maximises the amount of electricity we can generate from existing sites already leased by The Crown Estate, enabling us to power an extra four million British homes.”
Route-Stephens also acknowledged the extensive assessments that were conducted to address potential environmental concerns, adding, “This decision was only possible after a long and detailed assessment of the effects this increase could have on marine wildlife and ensuring suitable measures can be put in place by the offshore wind industry to address these impacts.”
The increased capacity from these offshore wind farms will contribute to the UK’s clean energy transition, further supporting the government’s goal of decarbonising the electricity grid by 2035.
