The Crown Estate has announced a proposal to invest up to £400 million to strengthen the UK’s offshore wind supply chain, focusing on critical infrastructure such as ports, manufacturing facilities and testing centres.
The proposal, unveiled on the opening day of the Global Offshore Wind 2025 conference in London, is detailed in a new publication titled Powering Offshore Wind. It outlines medium-term plans to support the expansion of enabling infrastructure seen as vital to scaling up offshore wind deployment across the UK.
The investment will be channelled through two programmes now open for applications: a newly launched £350 million Supply Chain Investment Programme and an expanded £50 million Supply Chain Accelerator.
Ben Brinded, head of investment at The Crown Estate, said collaboration will be key to the success of the initiative.
“We will not unlock the full economic, social and environmental benefits of offshore wind without collaboration and investment into the UK supply chain,” he said. “Building out enabling infrastructure is critical if we are to accelerate deployment off our coasts, derisk projects for investors and create local economic opportunities.”
The programmes are intended to address what The Crown Estate describes as one of the main constraints on offshore wind expansion—limited domestic supply chain capacity. The initiative aims to reduce development bottlenecks while supporting local economic growth and clean energy targets.
The larger of the two initiatives, the £350 million Supply Chain Investment Programme, is aimed at large-scale infrastructure such as new port facilities. The smaller £50 million Supply Chain Accelerator, which launched its second funding round this month, targets early-stage projects. The current round will allocate up to £15 million, with an expanded focus to include UK port infrastructure. Applications close on 27 June 2025.
Both funding streams will use strict investment criteria to assess projects based on financial, environmental, and social outcomes. The Crown Estate said the effort will involve coordination with public and private sector partners, including Great British Energy and the National Wealth Fund.
“The Crown Estate’s proposal to invest up to £400m in the offshore wind supply chain through two targeted programmes is recognition of offshore wind’s vital role in the UK’s clean energy transition and the many wider benefits it creates,” Brinded added.
Juergen Maier, chair of Great British Energy, said the initiative reflects the broader national strategy to accelerate the shift to clean energy.
“The UK is a leader in offshore wind, which we know creates jobs, growth, and innovation,” he said. “Only by working with our partners will we be able to find the scale to unlock the benefits for the UK and reach our goal of clean power by 2030.
