20 Feb 2024

The Crown Estate has concluded the Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) for the Celtic Sea floating offshore wind leasing process. The HRA covers the three Project Development Areas (PDAs) which are being made available through the Round 5 leasing process, and which will see commercial-scale floating wind farms established in the Celtic Sea for the first […]

09 Feb 2024

A group of conservation organisations are calling on planners to work together to ensure that wildlife is protected in the Irish Sea. The ‘Ecological Considerations for Marine Spatial Planning in the Irish Sea’ report urges planners in all six nations bordering the Irish Sea to collaborate and cooperate “for the sake of nature”. The Irish […]

30 Jan 2024

Europe’s offshore wind industry brought online a record 4200MW of offshore wind capacity in 2023. The amount was up 40% on the 1.7GW installed in 2022, according to figures published by WindEurope. The Netherlands, France and the UK installed the most new capacity. Offshore wind investments in Europe also reached a new record. A total […]

16 Jan 2024

Vattenfall has signed an agreement with RWE to divest the Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone. The Norfolk Zone consists of three fully consented wind farms – Norfolk Boreas, Norfolk Vanguard West and Norfolk Vanguard East – and is located off the east coast of England. It is one of the largest offshore wind developments in the world, […]

02 Jan 2024

Plymouth Marine Laboratory have launched a survey to capture responses from those in industry. Scientists currently have a poor understanding of the full socio-economic implications and conflicting pressures on marine space of the rapid expansion of offshore wind capacity. Project Lead Dr Claire Szostek said: “The survey will be open throughout December and the first week of […]

19 Dec 2023

With offshore wind scaling up rapidly in the UK ocean, demand for sea-space is increasing. At the same time, there is more evidence than ever before that the ocean is near an ecological tipping point, with marine species in sharp decline. Wildlife and Countryside Link’s Marine Strategy Group is working on policy proposals to reconcile […]

12 Dec 2023

The Crown Estate has set out further details of a new leasing round for commercial-scale floating wind projects in the Celtic Sea off the coast of South Wales and South West England. The projects have the potential to deliver enough clean, renewable energy for more than four million homes. The new wind farms will have […]

05 Dec 2023

RWE has signed an agreement with the UAE’s clean energy developer, known as Masdar, to develop a 3 gigawatt (GW) wind project off the east coast of England, capable of powering around 3 million homes. The UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, said the agreement included a commitment from the two companies to invest up to 11 […]