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Released July 14, 2025 | GALWAY, IRELAND
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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--Major floating offshore wind and solar power developments have been announced by the Crown Estate and the U.K. government to support its need for more homegrown renewable energy.
The Crown Estate, which owns Britain's seabed, has agreed to partner with a number of major windfarm developers to roll out three large floating offshore windfarms in the Celtic Sea with a combined capacity of 4.5 gigawatts (GW) - with the potential capacity to power more than 4 million homes. The deals, all for projects of up to 1.5 GW, have been struck with Norway's Equinor (NYSE:EQNR) (Stavanger, Norway) and Gwynt Glas - a joint venture between EDF Renewables UK (Nanterre, France) and Ireland's Electricity Supply Board (ESB) for projects located off the coasts of Wales and southwest England. A third site and developer has yet to be identified. The Crown Estate said that this is the "first phase of a new industry in the Celtic Sea" and it has identified future sites with the potential to add another four to 10 GW that will be brought to market by the end of the decade. It has also announced plans to invest up to £400 million (US$544 million) in the construction of port and supply chain infrastructure. The winning bidders have identified Port Talbot and Bristol ports as the likely locations for future investment.
Equinor built the first operational floating offshore windfarm off Scotland, Hywind Scotland, in 2017 and now operates the world's largest floating offshore windfarm, Hywind Tampen, in the North Sea. With a total capacity of 88 megawatts (MW) it has been designed to supply around 35% of the annual power needs for five of the company's oil platforms: Snorre A and B, and Gullfaks A, B and C. EDF Renewables has completed its own 25-MW pilot floating offshore windfarm, Provence Grand, in French waters. Earlier this year the Crown Estate greenlit changes in policy to allow for the rapid expansion of existing high-density offshore windfarms on current seabed leases. The Capacity Increase Programme is attempting to maximize the potential of existing offshore wind lease areas, making it faster and easier for developers to extend existing windfarms. Seven major expansion projects - Awel y Môr, Dudgeon Extension, Sheringham Shoal Extension, North Falls, Five Estuaries, Rampion 2 and Dogger Bank D - were highlighted, representing a total combined capacity of 4.7 GW.
U.K. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: "Floating offshore wind will be transformative for economic growth in Wales and the South West, unlocking thousands of jobs in places like Port Talbot and Bristol, bolstering our energy security and delivering industrial renewal. The Celtic Sea has huge untapped potential to support our mission to become a clean energy superpower."
On the solar front, the government has announced a plan to more than double solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity to 45 to 47 GW by 2030. In May, the U.K.'s total solar capacity stood at 18.9 GW. It estimates that solar could power about 9 million homes by 2030, up from 2 million currently, and would require up to 0.4% of total U.K. land to deliver that amount. However, to reach those figures annual installations will have to grow from around 1.5 GW in the 12 months to May, to more than 4.7 GW per annum by 2030. Some of the key changes proposed will include planning reforms including doubling the threshold for nationally significant solar projects to 100 megawatts (MW), up from 50 MW, faster planning approvals and grid connections and a push for more solar on commercial properties. There is also a plan to supercharge the rooftop solar sector with the Future Home initiative coming in the autumn which will see solar panels provided on most new homes as standard.
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).
The Crown Estate, which owns Britain's seabed, has agreed to partner with a number of major windfarm developers to roll out three large floating offshore windfarms in the Celtic Sea with a combined capacity of 4.5 gigawatts (GW) - with the potential capacity to power more than 4 million homes. The deals, all for projects of up to 1.5 GW, have been struck with Norway's Equinor (NYSE:EQNR) (Stavanger, Norway) and Gwynt Glas - a joint venture between EDF Renewables UK (Nanterre, France) and Ireland's Electricity Supply Board (ESB) for projects located off the coasts of Wales and southwest England. A third site and developer has yet to be identified. The Crown Estate said that this is the "first phase of a new industry in the Celtic Sea" and it has identified future sites with the potential to add another four to 10 GW that will be brought to market by the end of the decade. It has also announced plans to invest up to £400 million (US$544 million) in the construction of port and supply chain infrastructure. The winning bidders have identified Port Talbot and Bristol ports as the likely locations for future investment.
Equinor built the first operational floating offshore windfarm off Scotland, Hywind Scotland, in 2017 and now operates the world's largest floating offshore windfarm, Hywind Tampen, in the North Sea. With a total capacity of 88 megawatts (MW) it has been designed to supply around 35% of the annual power needs for five of the company's oil platforms: Snorre A and B, and Gullfaks A, B and C. EDF Renewables has completed its own 25-MW pilot floating offshore windfarm, Provence Grand, in French waters. Earlier this year the Crown Estate greenlit changes in policy to allow for the rapid expansion of existing high-density offshore windfarms on current seabed leases. The Capacity Increase Programme is attempting to maximize the potential of existing offshore wind lease areas, making it faster and easier for developers to extend existing windfarms. Seven major expansion projects - Awel y Môr, Dudgeon Extension, Sheringham Shoal Extension, North Falls, Five Estuaries, Rampion 2 and Dogger Bank D - were highlighted, representing a total combined capacity of 4.7 GW.
U.K. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: "Floating offshore wind will be transformative for economic growth in Wales and the South West, unlocking thousands of jobs in places like Port Talbot and Bristol, bolstering our energy security and delivering industrial renewal. The Celtic Sea has huge untapped potential to support our mission to become a clean energy superpower."
On the solar front, the government has announced a plan to more than double solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity to 45 to 47 GW by 2030. In May, the U.K.'s total solar capacity stood at 18.9 GW. It estimates that solar could power about 9 million homes by 2030, up from 2 million currently, and would require up to 0.4% of total U.K. land to deliver that amount. However, to reach those figures annual installations will have to grow from around 1.5 GW in the 12 months to May, to more than 4.7 GW per annum by 2030. Some of the key changes proposed will include planning reforms including doubling the threshold for nationally significant solar projects to 100 megawatts (MW), up from 50 MW, faster planning approvals and grid connections and a push for more solar on commercial properties. There is also a plan to supercharge the rooftop solar sector with the Future Home initiative coming in the autumn which will see solar panels provided on most new homes as standard.
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).
