Falck Renewables and BlueFloat Energy have secured grid connections and carried out almost a year’s worth of bird surveys for the 300MW each Llywelyn and Petroc floating offshore wind farms in the Celtic Sea.
Llywelyn, news of which was first revealed in the last issue of the subscriber-only newsletter reNEWS, will be located in Welsh waters off Pembrokeshire, while Petroc will be in English waters off Devon.
The developers said the sites had been selected following an extensive assessment process which included the review of protected areas, environmental impact, cable routing, existing infrastructure, marine traffic and fishing activity.
Falck Renewables and BlueFloat Energy said they are also actively engaged with the supply chain in Wales and south-west England and are planning on developing a local manufacturing base for offshore wind.
Falck Renewables Wind managing director Richard Dibley said: “Falck Renewables is extremely pleased with the progress made over the past year with our Celtic Sea floating offshore wind projects.
“Through Llywelyn and Petroc, we will be engaging with the local supply chain, small businesses and the communities to ensure that we can involve them in a way that we have become known for in the UK for the last 20 years.
“Should Llywelyn and Petroc be consented, Wales and the south-west will witness the birth of a new industry, where local businesses and communities will be the first to benefit.
“We have undertaken considerable outreach work with local port authorities and discussed the technical requirements for improving port infrastructure to help fulfil the specific requirements of the floating wind industry as we strive to maximise local content for Wales and the south-west.
As these projects will quickly enter the planning system, they will also make an important contribution to the UK’s net zero targets.”
BlueFloat Energy chief executive Carlos Martin said: “As our joint venture has already undertaken considerable work including bird surveys, securing grid connections and other feasibility studies, we believe that our 300MW Llywelyn and Petroc projects can be delivered by 2027-2028 whilst at the same time allowing the regional supply chain to ramp up to help achieve the 1GW target.
“These stepping stone projects could deliver 60% of the UK’s 2030 target, and there is no reason why Llywelyn and Petroc could not be subsequently extended to provide capacity beyond 2030.
“Ultimately, Falck Renewables and BlueFloat Energy believe that by continuing our working relationship with The Crown Estate and the local development community, we can deliver between 1GW and 2GW of the 4GW 2035 target, ensuring that the Celtic Sea becomes one of the key European offshore wind zones.”