Developers behind the Celtic Sea floating wind project Gwnyt Glas have begun early consultation with the commercial fisheries sector.
The consultation is in relation to a 1500 sq km site search area in the Celtic Sea.
Gwynt Glas, a joint venture announced in January between EDF Renewables UK and Pembrokeshire based DP Energy, will have a capacity of up to 1GW.
The Crown Estate intends to run a competitive leasing round to award seabed rights to developers for floating offshore wind projects in the Celtic Sea, targeting an overall regional capacity of 4GW.
The Gwynt Glas wider site search area is 70 km off the coast of Pembrokeshire and 45 km from the north Cornwall coast, spanning both Welsh and English waters.
The project team will now consult with stakeholders to begin the process of refining the area for its proposed floating offshore wind farm ahead of preparing an application to lease the seabed later next year.
Gwynt Glas project director Nancy McLean said: “In announcing the site search area at this stage we are keen to get an early understanding of the current level and type of fishing activity in the area.
“We are inviting those involved in fisheries to respond to our consultation and to meet us to discuss the opportunities and potential challenges.”
Beyond fisheries, a wide range of factors will also be considered as part of the site selection process, including water depth, wind resource, proximity to nature conservation designations, seabirds and marine mammals, shipping and distance from ports.
Remote aerial surveys for marine mammal and birds have been carried out over the last 12 months, and following wider consultation with all stakeholders, the floating offshore wind farm site will be refined and finalised to a much smaller area suitable to accommodate up to 1GW of floating wind platforms.