The White Cross offshore windfarm project is a member of a new forum which has been established to support the development of floating offshore wind in the South West of England and Wales
The Celtic Sea Forum brings together floating offshore wind test and demonstration project developers in the Celtic Sea and developers of projects enabled by The Crown Estate’s Offshore Wind Leasing Round 5 alongside key partners to help unlock the full potential of offshore wind in the Celtic Sea and ensure lasting benefits are delivered to communities across the region.
Members of the forum include developers White Cross, Gwynt Glas, Blue Gem Wind, Ocean Winds and Equinor, all of whom are actively developing floating offshore wind projects in the Celtic Sea.
The group is chaired by The Crown Estate, with Marine Energy Wales and clean energy experts Regen bringing insights from both Wales and England.
While large-scale construction of Round 5 projects is not expected to start until the mid-2030s, important early learnings from deployment of FLOW test and demonstration projects are critical to inform the design and delivery of large-scale generation capacity by reducing costs and building capacity over time. Early decisions around investment in ports, skills and supply chains will be critical in ensuring the region is ready.
The key aims of the Celtic Sea Forum are to maximise cross-project collaboration and knowledge sharing to set strong foundations for success. This includes working together in support of skills and workforce development, long-term investment in coastal communities, strengthening UK and regional supply chains, protecting and enhancing the natural environment and delivering social value commitments across projects throughout the lifetime of these projects.
The Celtic Sea is expected to play a key role in supporting the UK’s future offshore wind capacity, including through innovative floating wind technology, which enables turbines to be deployed in deeper waters.
”White Cross is an essential test and demonstration project that will enable future floating offshore wind developments in the Celtic Sea. Alongside the other Celtic Sea test and demonstration projects, we want to support the future development of floating offshore wind in the region and help establish a local supply chain. Working with other developers is central to this, and this is why the work of the Celtic Sea Forum is so important, fostering collaboration among developers to further the establishment of the industry in the region."
White Cross Senior Project Manager | Sam Park
”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."
Head of Offshore Wind at The Crown Estate | Julia Rose