Greenlight For U.K.'s Largest Floating Offshore Windfarm

---

Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--The Welsh government has granted approval for its first floating offshore windfarm, which will be located 35 kilometers (km) southwest of Pembrokeshire.

The Erebus project will have a generating capacity of 100 megawatts (MW) and will comprise seven 14-MW turbines housed on semi-submersible floating platforms. It is the largest floating windfarm to secure full planning consent in the U.K. to date. Erebus is being developed by Blue Gem Wind, a joint venture of TotalEnergies SE (NYSE:TTE) (Courbevoie, France) and specialist floating wind energy company Simply Blue Group. It has an investment value of almost US$390 million.

With the marine license now secured from Natural Resources Wales, the wind project will be entered in the next Contract for Difference (CfD) funding round overseen by the U.K. government. CfDs are used to incentivise renewable energy investments by providing developers of energy projects with a fixed price for electricity generated over a fixed period of time--often up to 25 years. In the case of floating windfarms, that sum is set at £116 (US$142) per megawatt-hour (MWh) for projects delivered in 2026/27 and 2027/28.

Wales' First Minister Mark Drakeford welcomed the news and urged the U.K. government to include the project in the CfD process. "We are ambitious for the floating offshore wind sector in Wales -- we believe it has the potential to deliver sustainable sources of energy into the future and it is also a once-in-a-generation opportunity to open up new markets for local suppliers and to create thousands of high-quality jobs in Wales. The Erebus project has the potential to show the world that Wales and the Celtic Sea can deliver renewable energy alongside the sustainable management of our marine resources. In determining the marine license and the planning consents, the Welsh Government and our partners in Natural Resources Wales have enabled this project to move forward to apply for subsidy support from the U.K. Government."

The platform supporting the turbines will be Principle Power's Windfloat, the leading floating technology used in waters deeper than 40 meters. It is a permanently moored semi-submersible, three-column stabilized floating platform for offshore wind turbines, that offers "virtual pitch- and yaw-free performance in the offshore environment." A "smart hull trim system" adapts to ocean conditions by shifting water ballast between columns to keep the wind turbine tower at vertical, maximizing output and minimizing loads.

Industrial Info is tracking 17 other floating offshore wind projects in Europe with a combined investment value of more than US$16 billion. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Project Database can click here for the report.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).