Offshore wind supply chain receives further £13m boost from The Crown Estate’s Supply Chain Accelerator programme

Sixteen projects across England, Wales and Scotland are set to share over £13m through The Crown Estate’s innovative Supply Chain Accelerator.

Projects in Plymouth, Pembrokeshire, Blyth and Orkney are among those to receive development funding to keep the UK at the forefront of the global offshore wind industry and support national clean power goals.

These awards represent the second funding round of The Crown Estate’s Supply Chain Accelerator programme, which aims to accelerate and de-risk the early-stage development of UK supply chain projects that service the offshore wind sector.

Today’s funding, which is nearly triple the amount awarded in The Crown Estate’s initial round last year, will help scale up exciting projects in the fixed and floating offshore wind supply chain.

The Supply Chain Accelerator was established as a £50m programme in May 2024 and forms part of The Crown Estate’s intention to invest up to £400m of capital in the supply chain, alongside its Supply Chain Investment Programme.

These initiatives form part of £1bn of investment in the offshore wind supply chain from The Crown Estate, Great British Energy and the offshore wind industry, as announced at the Global Offshore Wind conference in London earlier this year. The Supply Chain Accelerator specifically focusses on project development and is accessible at an earlier stage than many other funding sources.

This month marks 25 years since the UK commissioned its first offshore wind turbines off the coast of Blyth in the North East of England, signalling the beginning of an industry which now employs 40,000 people and generates nearly one-fifth of the country’s total electricity.

Funding for 16 projects

This second round of the Supply Chain Accelerator was expanded to include UK ports and port-related infrastructure to support the construction, assembly, manufacturing, operations & maintenance and wet storage of fixed and floating offshore wind.

Businesses could apply for up to £1.5m per eligible project, with The Crown Estate providing 50% match funding for early-stage development expenditure together with an option for The Crown Estate to participate in the capital investment phase.

Projects focusing on low-carbon reef scour protection, automated mooring system solutions, wet storage, manufacture of fixed and floating offshore wind foundations and anchoring strategies are among the sixteen projects set to be awarded funding through this latest round, subject to contract.

The Crown Estate’s match funding will contribute to a combined development investment of over £26.5m which, if the opportunities successfully conclude their respective development stages, could lead to more than £2.2bn of capital investment and approximately 3,000 FTE jobs.

Julia Rose, Head of Offshore Wind at The Crown Estate, said: “In this 25th anniversary year of UK offshore wind, it’s fantastic to award funding through our Supply Chain Accelerator to a diverse range of exciting projects across the country. These innovative businesses will help us move closer towards our clean power and energy security goals, create jobs and opportunities for growth across the country, drive innovation and boost the UK’s domestic supply chain capabilities.

“Our programme enables early-stage projects to access development funding to hopefully support them into an investible position in future, plugging a gap in the market we have identified and ensuring the onshore supply chain can continue to move at the same pace as planned offshore activity. This will be vital as we look to approach the next 25 years with the same ambition and pace as the last.”

Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning, Rebecca Evans said: "This funding is a significant vote of confidence in Wales' offshore wind capabilities. From Ledwood Engineering's automated mooring systems in Pembroke Dock to the Offshore Energy Catapult's Celtic Sea testing facility and Speera Seaworks' floating construction station at Port Talbot, these projects demonstrate Wales is building the infrastructure and expertise to lead the floating wind revolution.

“They will create high-quality jobs, deliver clean energy and strengthen our coastal communities for generations to come."

Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens said: “Wales is at the forefront of the UK’s growing clean energy industry and its great news that more projects are receiving vital funding which will help ensure their success.

“The development of floating offshore wind in the Celtic Sea presents huge opportunities in Wales, contributing to our economic growth and creating thousands of well-paid skilled jobs.

“The UK Government is working with all our partners to develop home-grown clean energy which will secure our energy supply, bring down household bills and help us achieve our net zero ambitions.”

RenewableUK's Head of Supply Chain, Ajai Ahluwalia, said: "It's great to see that this round of The Crown Estate's Supply Chain Accelerator programme includes such a diverse range of UK companies, supporting the transformation of ports all around the country into manufacturing centres of excellence and O&M bases for offshore wind.

“Our research shows that by focussing on high-value goods and services for our world-class offshore wind sector, we can triple our current manufacturing capacity, create thousands of extra supply chain jobs and boost the nation's economy by a further £25 billion between now and 2035. The Crown Estate is playing a key role in ensuring that we secure these economic benefits by providing fresh opportunities for communities throughout the UK". 

List of organisations to receive funding through The Crown Estate’s Supply Chain Accelerator 2nd round, (subject to contract) are:

• ARC Marine

• Blyth Harbour Commission

• European Marine Energy Centre

• Eyemouth Harbour Trust

• First Corporate Shipping Limited

• Ledwood Engineering

• Morwind Ltd

• Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult

• Offshore Solutions Group Limited

• Reflex Marine

• SeAH Wind Ltd.

• Slipform Engineering Ltd.

• Sperra Seaworks