RenewableUK has welcomed the Crown Estate’s Celtic Sea leasing Round 5 results, describing them as “potentially transformative” for the Welsh economy.
Jessica Hooper, director of RenewableUK Cymru, said the awarding of two 1.5 gigawatt (GW) seabed leases to Equinor and the EDF Renewables UK-ESB joint venture could generate a £4.8 billion opportunity for Welsh businesses and create over 3,000 jobs within the next decade.
“We welcome this announcement of the first two large-scale floating wind sites in the Celtic Sea, as this technology has the potential to be transformative for the Welsh economy,” Hooper said.
She added that despite challenging market conditions, the outcomes for Equinor and Gwynt Glas represented “an important first step to building a much-needed pipeline of projects in the Celtic Sea.”
Hooper also urged The Crown Estate to provide further details on upcoming leasing rounds, saying such transparency was needed to “provide certainty” for investors, allowing supply chains to scale fully and ensuring workers acquire the skills necessary to “make Wales a world leader in this cutting-edge technology.”
“To maximise the benefits of this technology and the investment in local facilities and supply chains, we need long-term visibility on future leasing rounds and support in the upcoming clean power auction to start building out projects in Welsh waters and across the UK,” she said.
Jane Cooper, RenewableUK’s deputy chief executive, described Round 5 as “just the start” of deploying a UK-wide floating wind pipeline that could deliver 40 GW of installed capacity, support 97,000 jobs, and generate £97 billion for the economy by 2050.
“Awarding leases to the first two sites for floating wind projects in the Celtic Sea marks a significant first step forward for this innovative technology which is set to play a major role in the UK’s future clean energy mix,” Cooper said.
“But this is just the start – the UK already has one of the largest floating project pipelines in the world, so we have an opportunity to deliver green economic growth at scale.”
