Press Release
THE CROWN ESTATE WELCOMES GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCEMENT OF MAJOR EXPANSION OF OFFSHORE CAPACITY
12 December 2007
The Crown Estate welcomes the launch by Energy Secretary, John Hutton MP, of a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the seas surrounding the UK. This is the first step towards the delivery of a ‘third round’ of offshore wind generation.
The SEA will assess plans for 25GW of offshore wind generation capacity by 2020, in addition to existing plans for 9GW of offshore wind. As landowner of the UK seabed The Crown Estate will be responsible for the process of delivering these offshore wind generation projects through the granting of site options and leases.
In early 2008 The Crown Estate will announce the competitive process and commercial terms for round three commercial scale offshore windfarm lease options.
Rob Hastings, Director of the Marine Estate at The Crown Estate, said: “The government’s announcement marks the start of an ambitious programme that would put offshore renewables at the heart of UK energy generation. At The Crown Estate we are looking forward to playing a central role in this programme.
“We know that this programme will attract a great deal of interest from both industry and a wide range of stakeholders. We will be working with government and these groups to ensure that sites are brought forward sensitively and with due regard to our principles of commercialism, integrity and stewardship.
“The first and second rounds of offshore windfarms, run by The Crown Estate, are already set to deliver nine gigawatts of the UK’s energy needs – enough to power over six million homes. This third round could see the delivery of up to 7,000 wind turbines and enough renewable energy for all the UK’s homes.”
Further Information
The full announcement by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform can be found here:
BERR statement
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