EDF Renewables UK and ESB have successfully secured the rights to develop the Gwynt Glas Floating Offshore Wind Farm in the Celtic Sea through The Crown Estate’s Leasing Round 5. This project has the potential to generate up to 1.5 Gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy while bringing significant benefits to communities across South Wales and South West England.
The Gwynt Glas project has been selected through a competitive seabed tender process which follows more than three years of engagement with a range of key stakeholders to inform the best approach.
As part of the tender process, Gwynt Glas submitted proposals for developing the wind farm, alongside plans for maximising socio-economic and overall social value opportunities. The project will have the potential to deliver green energy to millions of homes and contribute to the UK and region’s green economy, subject to the relevant environmental assessments.
Matthieu Hue, CEO of EDF Renewables UK, said, “I am absolutely delighted to announce that we, together with our project partner ESB, have secured preferred Bidder status with The Crown Estate for an Agreement for Lease as part of the Round 5 Leasing Process.
“We look forward to further developing the Gwynt Glas offshore wind farm, helping the UK maintain a market leading position in floating wind and recognising the important role that floating wind can play in the UK’s ambition towards reaching net zero.”
Jim Dollard, Executive Director at ESB said, “ESB, in partnership with our colleagues in EDF Renewables, is delighted to have been successful in The Crown Estate Round 5 seabed allocation in the Celtic Sea. The Celtic Sea is of strategic importance to ESB given its location adjacent to Ireland and the opportunities to develop a floating offshore project in what we believe to be an ideal area bodes well for our ambitions to develop a portfolio of floating offshore wind projects in Ireland and UK to contribute to the net zero plans for both countries as well as those of ESB.”
The Gwynt Glas project represents a key part of EDF Renewables UK's strategy to grow its renewables business in the UK and contribute towards energy security and the climate crisis. With three offshore wind farms already operational in UK waters, the introduction of Gwynt Glas into the company’s development pipeline provides an excellent opportunity to leverage the group’s experience of building France’s first floating offshore wind farm. For ESB, Gwynt Glas is an important part of its growing offshore wind portfolio across Ireland and Great Britain as the organisation pursues its Net Zero by 2040 carbon emissions strategy.
The necessary development and consenting activities will now progress in accordance with current UK Government guidelines which will include comprehensive stakeholder consultation and determining the project’s size, turbine location, and installed capacity. The consenting process is expected to take three to five years with the wind farm potentially becoming fully operational in early 2030s.
Image above: The Crown Estate Project Development Areas (PDA). Gwynt Glas has secured preferred bidder status of PDA 1.