Developers of floating offshore wind projects in the Celtic Sea have established a new forum to support collaboration and help maximize the benefits of offshore wind development across Wales and southwest England.
The Celtic Sea Forum brings together developers involved in The Crown Estate's Leasing Round 5 and floating offshore wind test and demonstration projects to promote collaboration and knowledge sharing as the sector develops.
Members include Blue Gem Wind, White Cross Offshore Wind, Gwynt Glas, Ocean Winds and Equinor, all of which are developing floating offshore wind projects in the Celtic Sea. The forum is chaired by The Crown Estate, with Marine Energy Wales and clean energy consultancy Regen also participating.
The forum aims to support collaboration on skills and workforce development, investment in coastal communities, regional and UK supply chains, environmental protection and social value initiatives across projects.
While large-scale construction of Leasing Round 5 projects is not expected to begin until the mid-2030s, the group said lessons from floating wind test and demonstration projects will help reduce costs, build supply chain capacity and inform future commercial-scale developments. It also highlighted the importance of early investment decisions on ports, skills and supply chains.
“The Celtic Sea region is set to play a truly significant role in the UK’s clean energy transition and move the dial on our ambition to generate more homegrown energy. From innovation at Test & Demonstration sites to the scale of Leasing Round 5 and the onshore opportunities it will unlock, the Celtic Sea region’s journey to become a world-leading hub for FLOW has started and we’re delighted to support its future growth,” said Julia Rose, Head of Offshore Wind at The Crown Estate.