A total of 8.4 GW of offshore wind capacity succeeded in the UK’s latest Contracts for Difference (CfD) auction, Allocation Round 7 (AR7) (UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero statement, 14/01/2026). This includes nearly 1.4 GW of offshore wind off Scotland and 192 MW of floating offshore wind, with 72% of the awarded capacity located off England, 17% off Scotland and 10% off Wales.
German developer RWE secured the largest share with CfDs for 6.9 GW, including the 3 GW Dogger Bank South complex and 3.1 GW Norfolk Vanguard site off east England, plus 775 MW for the Awel Y Mor project in the Irish Sea.
SSE won the only other fixed-bottom award: a 1.4 GW portion of the 4.1 GW Berwick Bank scheme. Two floating projects also secured CfDs, Blue Gem Wind’s 100 MW Erebus in the Celtic Sea and CIP’s 92.5 MW Pentland off north Scotland, with delivery targeted for 2028-29 for Norfolk Vanguard and 2030-31 for remaining fixed-bottom capacity.
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