The Crown Estate is planning to lease three project development areas (PDAs) in the Celtic Sea off the coast of Wales and South West England (United Kingdom) for floating wind projects, each with a potential capacity of up to 1.5 GW. This is part of the Offshore Wind Leasing Round 5, which aims to unlock a total of 4.5 GW of capacity in the Celtic Sea, an increase from the initial 4 GW target (spread over 4 PDAs). Under the refined plans, no bidder will be able to secure an Agreement for Lease for more than one PDA.
An Information Memorandum is expected to be published before the end of 2023, and the leasing round is intended to support the growth of the floating wind industry in the Celtic Sea. The Crown Estate is taking steps to de-risk developments and accelerate deployment, including investing in assessments, marine surveys, and grid design coordination.
The United Kingdom has the second largest offshore wind capacity in the world after China, with 13.8 GW (end-2022), accounting for 13% of the country’s capacity mix. The government aims to deliver up to 5 GW of floating wind by 2030, with rapid expansion anticipated thereafter.
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