The Crown Estate has doubled its commitment to £50m (€58m) to enable the coexistence of offshore wind farms with a thriving marine environment as the UK ramps up aspirations to accelerate homegrown energy independence.
A further £25m will be put into The Crown Estate’s Offshore Wind Evidence and Change Programme.
The programme is gathering and harnessing the data and evidence to propel forward the growth of UK offshore wind, while maintaining clean, healthy, productive and biologically diverse seas.
It is being delivered in partnership with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), working closely with Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland government bodies, regulators, NGOs and a broad range of industry representatives.
There are 23 projects in the current portfolio representing £33m of funding – £22m from The Crown Estate’s core investment fund, and £11m of co-funding or in-kind contributions.
The projects are helping to find space in a busy seabed through spatial co-ordination and co-location, and are designed to inform policy and regulation to enable a more integrated design of wind farms and the natural environment.
This includes potential environmental compensatory measures to address environmental impacts and support timely and informed decision-making, The Crown Estate said.
The additional funding will be used to deliver research and data projects that support the acceleration of offshore wind deployment including projects that address priority bird, marine mammal and seabed habitat research gaps identified in year one of the programme.
The programme will also support the work of the government’s new Marine Recovery Fund and implementation of nature-based design standards.
The Crown Estate chief executive Dan Labbad said: “As the need to accelerate offshore wind deployment ramps up, restoring our natural environment has never been more important.
“We are committed to safeguarding the marine environment whilst shaping, innovating, informing and enabling the development of offshore wind for the long-term benefit of the nation.
“By doubling our investment in the Offshore Wind and Evidence programme, we can continue to provide world class data and evidence to support both government and the industry in making the best decisions to unlock the pathway to net zero, in harmony with healthy, biodiverse seas.”
Energy Minister Greg Hands said: “Delivering clean, affordable and homegrown energy is an urgent priority for this government as we made clear in the British Energy Security Strategy.
“This investment will help support that, boosting our status as an offshore wind superpower while protecting our iconic island coastline.”
Environment Minister Rebecca Pow said: “Our marine environment is a vital asset in developing a clean, affordable and secure energy supply here in the UK.
“Data and evidence is integral to achieving this, and I’m delighted funding is in place for further research and data projects that will accelerate progress towards offshore wind deployment while continuing to meet our commitments on ocean recovery.”