Crown Estate Opens Offshore Wind Market Engagement Window

The Crown Estate has opened registration for a second market engagement event for a potential new offshore wind leasing round in the UK on Monday 26 November 2018.

The session is targeted at potential leasing process participants, including potential newcomers to the market.

The Crown Estate will share updates to initial proposals following the engagement undertaken in summer 2018 and will also provide details on a proposal on the structure of the tender process.

Having reviewed the initial feedback, The Crown Estate will present updated proposals as part of this second phase of engagement, commencing in November 2018.

Following this, The Crown Estate intends to confirm plans for a new offshore wind leasing round, to be known as Round 4. This could be launched in the early part of 2019, maintaining a pipeline of projects through to the late 2020s and beyond.

As managers of the seabed around England, Wales and Northern Ireland, The Crown Estate is working with the offshore wind sector and stakeholders over the course of 2018 to consider making new seabed rights available for offshore wind.

In line with government and industry appetite for additional offshore wind capacity, and following the significant cost reduction demonstrated by the sector, The Crown Estate is working to explore the potential scale, location and nature of potential new leasing.