Two consortia have been awarded rights to each develop a 1.5GW floating wind farm in in seas off the coasts of Wales and South West England, The Crown Estate has announced.
The allocation fell short of the 4.5GW up for grabs in the allocation round and The Crown Estate said it was working on options for the third site and it expects to set out next steps by the end of September 2025.
The selection of Equinor and Gwynt Glas (a joint venture between EDF Renewables UK and ESB) are preferred bidders to deliver the new floating windfarms.
The Crown Estate also set out its plans to invest up to £400 million of capital in the supply chain for projects across the country. It wants the new wind farm projects to unlock a range of new opportunities for skills, apprenticeships and employment, as well as investment in new port infrastructure.
As part of their submissions to The Crown Estate, the bidders also set out further plans for creating new on-shore opportunities, with more details expected to be announced following the signing of Agreements for Lease in the autumn. The preferred bidders have identified Port Talbot and Bristol ports as the likely locations for this activity.