Flotation Energy and Cobra have secured full onshore and offshore planning consent for their 100MW White Cross floating offshore wind farm in the Celtic Sea.
The project will feature six to eight floating turbines located 52km off the coast of Devon and will generate enough clean electricity to power around 135,000 homes, according to the developers.
North Devon Council has approved the onshore infrastructure while the Marine Management Organisation has granted a Marine Licence for offshore works under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009, in line with the South West Marine Plan.
White Cross Offshore Windfarm’s export cable will make landfall at Saunton Sands and run approximately 8km underground to a new onshore substation connecting to the existing East Yelland substation.
The route will pass beneath Braunton Burrows and the Taw Estuary using trenchless technology designed to avoid surface disruption to the Special Area of Conservation and SSSI.
Flotation Energy senior project manager Sam Park said: “This is an important moment for the White Cross Offshore Windfarm, and for floating offshore wind in the Celtic Sea.
“We are grateful to the North Devon Council and the Marine Management Organisation, and to everyone who has engaged with the project. In response to feedback, we have adapted our plans to minimise environmental and social impacts.”
Park added: “The UK is already a leader in floating offshore wind technology, but until now this has only been via projects in Scottish waters.
“This decision gives us a valuable opportunity to harness this pioneering technology to help deliver the energy transition in the south west of England.”
White Cross is described as a “stepping stone” towards the Crown Estate’s ambition to scale up and commercialise floating wind in the Celtic Sea.
The developers said the project will support UK decarbonisation and energy security goals while boosting the regional supply chain and creating local jobs.