The Crown Estate and UK Government to unlock offshore energy

The partnership, called the ‘Offshore Wind Evidence and Change’ programme, will gather and harness data and evidence, to drive forward the growth of UK offshore wind which is crucial for the sector as it gears up to meet the Government’s 2030 ambitions for 40 GW of offshore wind.

The partnership will be led by The Crown Estate, which has committed to a five-year £25 million ‘kick-starter’ investment for the programme, alongside strategic partners: the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Together with the devolved Governments, the collaboration will bring together more than 20 stakeholder organisations and support the Government’s wider efforts to develop a vision for the future of the offshore wind sector.

Over a five-year period, the programme’s strategic research and data projects will provide insights to help the sector better understand and address environmental considerations and interactions with other industries and activities, both around the coast and offshore. This will enable a more co-ordinated and strategic approach to the delivery of the new infrastructure required to deliver net zero emissions by 2050, ensuring the sector can deliver at pace while protecting the broader natural environment.

Initial projects coming forward through the partnership, include:

1. East Coast Grid Spatial study, to be delivered with National Grid Electricity System Operator, National Grid Electricity Transmission and The Marine Management Organisation. This will help build understanding of the interactions that future offshore wind farms on the east coast of England are likely to face when connecting into the electricity network and whether alternative approaches to connection can reduce community and environmental impacts
2. Future Offshore Wind Scenarios project, a UK-wide study, to be delivered with Crown Estate Scotland and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which will develop and examine spatial scenarios, to better understand the opportunities for future offshore wind deployment.

The programme also brings together a steering group which includes: Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland government bodies, regulators including the Marine Management Organisation, non-governmental organisations such as RSPB and The Wildlife Trusts, and RenewableUK on behalf of the industry. Together these organisations will be committing their expertise, resources and, in some cases, funding to projects.

The partnership is borne out of the 2019 offshore wind sector deal, which aims to build on the UK's presence in offshore wind and maximise economic benefits across the entire nation.

In parallel, the partnership will also support the Government’s 25-year ‘Environment Plan’, which set out its ambitions to restore nature within a generation, reversing the loss of marine biodiversity and, where practicable, restoring it.

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