On 7 December 2023, The Crown Estate released further details about the tender and tender requirements, highlighting the work that was done to de-risk the process for developers and accelerate the deployment of projects.
As part of this new approach, a multi-million-pound programme of marine surveys of the designated areas was launched and a Plan-Level Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) was carried out early on in the process.
This is the first time that The Crown Estate has undertaken the Habitats Regulations Assessment ahead of an offshore wind leasing process. This was designed to give bidders early visibility of the steps they will need to take to ensure conformity with the HRA, according to The Crown Estate.
The launch of the Round 5 procurement process comes shortly after the Plan-Level HRA for Offshore Wind Leasing Round 5 was concluded.
“The HRA will shape developers’ activity and direct them to undertake specific measures to mitigate the impact of their construction on birds and other marine wildlife,” The Crown Estate said on 12 February, when it announced completing the HRA.
Round 5 is expected to be the first phase of development in the Celtic Sea. In November 2023, the UK Government confirmed its intention to unlock space for up to a further 12 GW of capacity in the Celtic Sea.
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