Crown Estate confirms third Celtic Sea project award
The Crown Estate confirmed that global renewables developer Ocean Winds will be awarded rights to build the third major floating wind farm in the Celtic Sea.
The decision completes the trio of sites offered under the UK’s Offshore Wind Leasing Round 5, joining projects already secured by Equinor and Gwynt Glas earlier this year.
Together, the three floating wind farms will become some of the largest of their kind anywhere in the world, with a combined capacity expected to power more than four million homes.
The announcement has been hailed as a “huge vote of confidence” in the Celtic Sea region, which is expected to generate billions of pounds of investment and thousands of skilled jobs—many of them in Wales.
Ports including Port Talbot and Bristol have already been identified as front-running candidates for turbine assembly and deployment.
Ocean Winds, like the other developers, must now set out which ports it intends to use, as well as deliver commitments on skills, apprenticeships and local employment.
Under Round 5 rules, companies must ensure at least 3.5% of their workforce are apprentices and that 10% of employees aged 19–24 are not in education, employment or training.
Welsh Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning Rebecca Evans said the investment demonstrated that Wales is “at the global forefront of the offshore wind sector,” adding that certainty over all three sites “will help unlock investment from ports, manufacturing companies and skills providers.”
‘World leader’
Ocean Winds is described as ‘a world leader’ in floating wind technology, having built the WindFloat Atlantic project in Portugal, and already operates major UK wind farms including Moray East and Moray West.
The Crown Estate said it had taken steps to “derisk” Round 5 for developers, including grid connection plans with the National Energy System Operator and extensive technical and environmental surveys.
CEO Dan Labbad said he was “incredibly proud” to deliver on the commitment to secure a developer for the third site.
UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said the move strengthened the UK’s position as a global leader in floating wind, calling it a “historic opportunity” that will cut energy bills, create skilled jobs and bolster energy security.
Ocean Winds and The Crown Estate will now work towards finalising an Agreement for Lease by spring 2026, allowing development work to advance.
Industry groups including RenewableUK and the British Ports Association welcomed the announcement, saying it positions Wales and the South West of England at “the cutting edge” of a sector that could support nearly 100,000 UK jobs by 2050.
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Rape of the fair country. Devolve the Crown Estate!
Jug ears the king of england robbing Wales of more money
Brilliant projects. Just wouldn’t have happened if the CE was devolved as we just don’t have the politicians with the necessary knowledge and vision to get these things done. Sad, but true. Hopefully, however, the WG can get involved in some way as this will make the case for devolving the CE. They won’t do it until they trust us not to balls it up. No idea who that person/team would be, of course, but fingers crossed we find them. Oh, and Port Talbot is owed one to say the least.
This doesn’t make sense because onshore wind is going like the clappers under devolved control.
Someone has to pay for Andy.
A ton of profit for the Crown, tax revenue for HMRC – and absolutely sweet FA for Cymru. Jobs? How many will go to Welsh people? We’ve seen it before and will places like Port Talbot benefit or remain poor? I think we all know the answer. It’s only by gaining independence that we can stop this plundering of our resources.