The Crown Estate has granted seabed rights to Equinor and the Gwynt Glas joint venture between EDF Renewables UK and ESB to develop two 1,500 megawatt (MW) floating offshore wind farms in the Celtic Sea, marking a significant step in the UK’s offshore wind expansion.
The awards follow the conclusion of Round 5 of the UK’s offshore wind leasing programme, the first to focus on floating wind technology at commercial scale. Each developer will pay an annual option fee of £350 per MW, totalling £525,000 per year per project.
A third 1.5 GW development area remains in reserve, with The Crown Estate expected to provide further details by September. If all three sites are developed, the combined capacity of 4.5 GW could generate enough electricity to power over four million homes.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband described the results as “transformative for economic growth in Wales and the South West,” adding, “The Celtic Sea has huge untapped potential to support our mission to become a clean energy superpower, so we can get energy bills down for good through our Plan for Change.”
Floating wind technology enables turbines to be installed in deeper waters where fixed-bottom foundations are not feasible, unlocking new offshore areas such as the Celtic Sea for clean energy generation.
Trine Borum Bojsen, senior vice president for renewables Europe at Equinor, said the lease award “offers the scalability and timing flexibility we seek,” reaffirming the company’s long-term commitment to the UK market.
Gwynt Glas, a 50:50 venture between EDF Renewables UK and Irish utility ESB, secured the second lease. EDF Renewables UK chief executive Matthieu Hue said the project “reinforces the UK’s leadership in floating wind and highlights the technology’s critical role in achieving net zero.”
ESB’s executive director Jim Dollard called the Celtic Sea “of strategic importance,” enabling the utility to expand floating wind capacity on both sides of the Irish Sea.
Both developers pledged to deliver economic and social benefits alongside power generation. Port Talbot and the Port of Bristol have been identified as potential hubs for final turbine assembly. The projects also aim to employ a workforce with at least 3.5% apprentices and a minimum of 10% of workers aged 19–24 who were previously not in employment, education or training.
The leasing round followed extensive preparatory work by The Crown Estate, including environmental assessments, stakeholder engagement, and securing a grid connection agreement with the National Energy System Operator (NESO).
Dan Labbad, chief executive of The Crown Estate, said the outcome reflects “how far we’ve come” since the UK’s offshore wind sector began 25 years ago.
Agreements for lease are expected this autumn, allowing Equinor and Gwynt Glas to start formal development and consent procedures. Both projects could deliver their first power before 2030, contributing to the goal of up to 10 GW of floating wind capacity in the Celtic Sea by the end of the decade.
With global competition growing for floating wind investment, the results of Round 5 send a strong signal that the UK remains a leading destination for innovation, industrial growth, and climate action.
