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The two developers that the Crown Estate selected this year to build floating offshore wind farms in the Celtic Sea, Equinor and a joint venture between EDF and ESB, have now entered into lease agreements for their floating wind projects with the UK seabed manager.
Equinor and the EDF-ESB joint venture, named Gwynt Glas, were selected as preferred bidders in the Offshore Wind Leasing Round 5 on 12 June. Each of the two developers was awarded 1.5 GW of capacity in their respective project development area (PDA) for an annual option fee of GBP 350/MW (approximately EUR 410/MW).
The floating wind farms are planned to be operational in the mid-2030s, subject to developers securing all necessary permits.
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Equinor and Gwynt Glas are now expected to focus on developing their project designs, delivering onshore and offshore site surveys, Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs), public engagement and securing planning consents.
The Crown Estate says that, once these initial requirements have been completed, the developers can then apply for a full lease to build and operate the new wind farms.
“This follows several steps taken by The Crown Estate to derisk Round 5 and make the opportunity even more attractive to prospective bidders ahead of the auction, including agreeing a plan with the National Energy System Operator for connecting the sites to the UK’s energy grid”, the Crown Estate said in a press release on 7 October.
“As part of industry-leading contractual commitments included within the developers’ agreements for lease, Equinor and Gwynt Glas will also deliver a range of social, economic and environmental measures over the lifetime of their projects.”