The Crown Estate awards Ocean Winds rights for floating wind farm

The news follows the Offshore Wind Leasing Round 5 auction in June which awarded rights for two of three sites for new floating wind farms to Equinor and Gwynt Glas, who both entered into agreements for lease for their respective floating wind farm projects in October.

Following the auction, The Crown Estate stated it would ensure the delivery of the full potential capacity of up to 4.5 GW available through Round 5 through deployment of a third site.

Since then, it has been actively engaging the market to secure a developer for the third site, with Ocean Winds successful following a direct award process in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023.

Ocean Winds will now join Equinor and Gwynt Glas in progressing the development of some of the largest floating wind farms in the world, with enough total capacity to power more than 4 million homes.

The Crown Estate took several steps to derisk Round 5 and make the opportunity even more attractive to developers at a time of market challenges. These included agreeing a plan with the National Energy System Operator for connecting the sites to the UK’s energy grid and undertaking a major programme of technical and environmental pre-consent surveys.

As part of the tender process for Round 5, bidders were required to set out plans for creating new onshore benefits from the development of the new wind farms. This included committing to creating new apprenticeships, contributing to at least 3.5% of the workforce, and ensuring that a minimum of 10% of employees aged 19 – 24 are not currently in education, employment, or training.

Ocean Winds will be subject to the same conditions, with research showing that the full delivery of Round 5 could lead to the creation of more than 5000 jobs and deliver a £1.4 billion boost to the UK economy.

Ocean Winds will also need to outline which ports it intends to work with to support the final assembly and deployment of the new floating turbines, with Port Talbot and Port of Bristol previously identified as potential locations for this activity.

Ocean Winds and The Crown Estate will now work towards finalising an Agreement for Lease, which is expected to conclude in Spring 2026.

Dan Labbad, Chief Executive of The Crown Estate, said: “I’m incredibly proud that we have delivered on the commitment we made to secure a developer for the third site in the Celtic Sea, and we’re delighted that Ocean Winds will join other world-leading companies to invest in the UK and help establish this pioneering new technology for the long-term benefit of the country.”

Craig Windram, CEO of Ocean Winds, added: “We are proud to be selected for the development rights for this strategic site. With over a decade of experience pioneering floating wind technology, and a proven ability to deliver fixed bottom projects at pace, we are confident in our capabilities to deliver this commercial scale floating project. The project will bring substantial benefits to the UK and play a vital role in the energy transition.”

Ed Miliband, Energy Secretary, commented:? “Securing a third floating offshore wind site in the Celtic Sea not only strengthens the UK’s position as a global leader in this emerging technology, but also further unlocks the region’s vast potential to deliver our clean power mission and bring down energy bills for good.

“Floating offshore wind in the Celtic Sea will drive growth across Wales and the South West, create thousands of skilled jobs in places like Port Talbot and Bristol, bolster our energy security, and power industrial renewal.”

Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning, Rebecca Evans, stated: “Today’s announcement is a huge vote of confidence in the Celtic Sea and the floating offshore wind sector. The investment shows that Wales is at the global forefront of the offshore wind sector which will power our communities for generations and bring lasting economic value.

“With all three development areas confirmed, the sector can confidently go forward, and this certainty will help to unlock investment from our ports, our manufacturing companies, and skills providers.”

Secretary of State for Wales, Jo Stevens, said: “This is another major step forward in developing floating offshore wind in the Celtic Sea and a significant moment for the clean energy industry in Wales.

“The UK government is committed to the transition to clean energy, bringing down bills for households and securing the UK’s home-grown energy supply. Floating offshore wind is key to delivering that mission. It will bring huge investment and create thousands of well-paid jobs in Wales and across the UK.”

RenewableUK's Deputy Chief Executive, Jane Cooper,?said:??”We're delighted that all three sites in The Crown Estate's floating wind leasing round in the Celtic Sea are now being developed, with Ocean Winds taking forward plans to build one of the UK's first commercial scale floating offshore wind farms. Rolling out innovative floating wind projects in the Celtic Sea offers ports in south Wales and the south west of England excellent opportunities to be in the vanguard of cutting-edge technology by manufacturing and assembling giant platforms and turbines over 250 m tall, as well as constructing, operating, and maintaining projects, creating thousands of highly-skilled jobs.? ?

“Our latest research shows that the UK has the second largest pipeline of floating wind projects in the world. By 2050, the UK’s floating wind industry could employ 97 000 people, contributing £47 billion to our economy by building and supplying projects here as well as exporting our world-leading technology to other countries.”

Richard Ballantyne, Chief Executive of the British Ports Association, explained: “Over the last 25 years, ports across the UK have adapted and transformed to play a key role in the growth of our leading offshore wind sector. The successful award of all three sites through Round 5 means ports in Wales and the South West have a real opportunity to be in the driving seat to help deliver this next exciting chapter for UK offshore wind.”

Geraint Evans, Chief Executive of the UK Major Ports Group, concluded: “A successful offshore wind industry isn’t just about delivering clean, secure energy, but is a catalyst for delivering economic growth across the UK and new jobs in coastal communities. Ports will play a fundamental role in the growth and delivery of UK offshore wind – all three sites in the Celtic Sea moving forward is a critical next step for us all. Developers, major ports, governments in Westminster and Cardiff must lean into the economic opportunity for a generational new industry in the Celtic Sea.”

For more news and technical articles from the global renewable industry, read the latest issue of Energy Global magazine.

Energy Global's Autumn 2025 issue

Explore the latest insights into the renewable energy sector in the Autumn issue of Energy Global, out now! This edition features a regional report on the Asia Pacific from Aurora Energy Research, mapping out why the wholesale price cap is detrimental to the energy transition in India. The issue then delves into articles covering crucial topics such as digitalisation in renewables, inspection & maintenance, developments in floating offshore wind, coatings, solar optimisation and more. Contributors include Flotation Energy, DNV, Sarens, NEUMAN & ESSER, Teknos, and more, so this issue is not one to miss!

Read the article online at: https://www.energyglobal.com/wind/19112025/the-crown-estate-awards-ocean-winds-rights-for-floating-wind-farm/