Wales’ first floating wind project took a major step forward this week, after the Crown Estate awarded seabed rights to developers to build the 96MW demonstration project in the Celtic Sea. The Crown Estate granted two new leases for windfarms in Welsh waters a demonstration project that involves installing floating wind turbines 27 miles from the shore in water depths of 70m, and a 10,600 hectare extension to the Gwynt y Môr offshore windfarm off the coast of north Wales,
The 96MW Erebus project marks a big step for the development of offshore wind off the Welsh coast, and could emerge as one of Britain’s first floating windfarms beyond Scotland where one is under construction and another planned.
Floating windfarms are considered the next frontier developers because the technology allows projects to move ahead even in very deep waters where fixed seabed foundations would be too costly to build.