The Crown Estate has signed agreements for lease for six off-shore wind projects, including a huge wind farm off the Welsh coast. The site off Wales, named Mona, has been secured by a partnership between BP and German energy firm EnBW. But put together, the sites have the potential to generate enough renewable electricity for more than seven million homes.
The other wind farms are set to be located off the coasts of Cumbria and Lancashire, while three are located in the North Sea off the Yorkshire and Lincolnshire coasts. Mona is a 1,500MW project, planned for the north-east of Anglesey. It is considerably larger than the 160-turbine Gwynt-y-Mor project off the coast of Conwy, which is a 576MW scheme.
The lease agreements mean developers can now further progress their plans for projects which have the potential to make a major contribution to delivering sustainable, renewable energy for the UK, as well as the UK Government’s target of 50GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030, North Wales Live reports.
Dan Labbad, CEO of The Crown Estate, said: “The UK’s offshore wind achievements to date are nothing short of remarkable, and this next generation of projects point to an even more exciting and dynamic future. Offshore wind is at the heart of our goal to secure clean, affordable and resilient energy supply for all in the UK, while bringing major business, investment and job opportunities along with it.”
Julie James, the Welsh Government’s minister for climate change, said: “Today’s announcement is an important step forward, not just to deliver sustainable future sources of energy but also for the Welsh economy and communities. We are determined to make the most of opportunities afforded by the urgent need to scale up renewable energy generation to transition away from fossil fuels and believe offshore wind will play a major role in the future energy system in Wales. We have a high level of ambition for the sector, and we are looking to maximise the employment opportunities across the supply chain and continue to work with The Crown Estate to deliver on our ambitions.”
The six Offshore Wind Leasing Round 4 projects are:
Project Name |
Region/ location |
Successful bidder |
Proposed project capacity (MW) |
Dogger Bank South (West) |
Off the Yorkshire Coast, North East of Scarborough |
RWE Renewables |
1500 |
Dogger Bank South (East) |
Off the Yorkshire Coast, North East of Scarborough |
RWE Renewables |
1500 |
Outer Dowsing |
Off the Lincolnshire Coast, East of the Humber Estuary |
TotalEnergies and Corio Generation, a portfolio company of the Green Investment Group |
1500 |
Mona |
Off the Northern Welsh Coast, North East of Anglesey |
Consortium of EnBW and BP |
1500 |
Morecambe |
Off the Lancashire Coast, West of Blackpool and South West of Morecambe Bay |
Morecambe Offshore Windfarm Ltd, a joint venture between Cobra Instalaciones y Servicios, S.A. (Cobra) and Flotation Energy Ltd. |
480 |
Morgan |
Off the coast of Barrow-In-Furness, West of Morecambe Bay |
Consortium of EnBW and BP |
1500 |
