26 May 2026
Photo by Low Angle New legislation came into force on 21 May, reforming the rules governing how offshore wind developers compensate for unavoidable impacts on protected marine sites. The changes, introduced jointly by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, amend the Conservation of Habitats and […]
03 Mar 2026
Photo by Doncoombez The UK Government has laid a draft statutory instrument to amend the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations, bringing forward new powers to enable offshore wind deployment under the Energy Act 2023 — a long-awaited reform that conservation groups have cautiously welcomed, while warning that a critical flaw in the draft […]
22 Dec 2025
The UK government has launched a new initiative designed to accelerate the growth of the offshore wind sector while simultaneously protecting the country’s marine ecosystems. The Marine Recovery Fund, as reported by Defra, aims to unlock up to 19 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind capacity—an amount of electricity sufficient to power two cities the size […]
01 Apr 2025
The UK government’s Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) intends to establish a Marine Recovery Fund (MRF) for use by relevant offshore wind activity across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Once operational, it will be a voluntary mechanism that organisations undertaking relevant offshore wind activities (such as developers or plan promoters) can pay […]
04 Feb 2025
Defra Minister, Emma Hardy MP, made a string of announcements at the recent Coastal Futures conference. The Minister for Water and Flooding confirmed the Government’s position on accelerating offshore wind growth while announcing new proposals to protect and enhance the marine environment alongside energy development. She reiterated the point that the nature and climate change […]