Offshore Wind Report 2024

I am delighted to share the 2024 Offshore Wind Report as we celebrate the 25th anniversary since the UK’s first demonstration offshore wind farm in Blyth on the north-east coast.  

Over the last 25 years, the UK has turned visionary ambition into a success story to be proud of. From just a few turbines and no offshore wind market, the UK has built an entirely new sector with the second biggest installed capacity in the world. In this remarkably short time, UK offshore wind has grown rapidly and now comprises 15.9GW of grid connected capacity, capable of powering more than half of UK homes. With a strong pipeline of 95GW, the sector is gearing up to play a pivotal role in the country’s future; supporting the UK’s ambition to deliver clean power by 2030 and net zero by 2050, as well as creating energy security, thousands of new jobs and economic opportunity. 

This year’s new-look report, which sets out the headlines and highlights from 2024 in a more concise and data-led way, is packed with examples of how the industry is gearing up for another 25 years of extraordinary success.  

The Crown Estate’s purpose is to create lasting and shared prosperity for the nation, with a vision to build a thriving marine environment for generations to come. Collaboration, long-term planning and co-ordination lies at the heart of this and in 2024 we were pleased to announce plans to develop a ground-breaking Marine Delivery Routemap – a holistic and long-term view of how the seabed could be used to support the accelerated delivery of nature recovery and the transition to clean energy. This will provide a plan for long-term visibility for the sector about future areas of opportunity and help to de-risk future development.  

During the year we also set out thinking on the future of offshore wind in the UK, outlining how the next 20-30GW of offshore wind capacity can be brought to market by the end of this decade and how The Crown Estate could play a greater role in investing to support the associated infrastructure and supply chain. The new Crown Estate Act 2025, which modernises the way The Crown Estate can borrow and invest, will play an important role in this.  

A strong supply chain is fundamental to the long-term stability of the sector; in 2024 the first £5 million of funds of The Crown Estate’s innovative £50 million Supply Chain Accelerator were awarded to UK projects that could support floating offshore wind in the Celtic Sea. This and subsequent awards, including funding for the development of manufacturing facilities and port infrastructure, will act as a catalyst for the UK supply chain capability, and help ensure the wider economic benefits of this industrial revolution are felt here in the UK. 

In 2024, the new UK Government quickly established its Mission Control for Clean Power 2030, followed by its 2030 Action Plan to achieve its clean power goal of generating at least 95 per cent of Great Britain's electricity consumption from clean sources by 2030, with offshore wind having a pivotal role. It also published proposals to reform the Contracts for Difference scheme, to remove planning barriers and other measures to help bring clean power online faster. Alongside this, The Crown Estate partnered to form Great British Energy: The Crown Estate, a strategic partnership to accelerate the energy transition. These are all vital measures to support the anticipated increase in projects progressing into construction in the coming years. 

The tender process for Offshore Wind Leasing Round 5, which could add up to 4.5GW to the UK pipeline, continued to progress, helping to further cement the UK’s opportunity to lead the world in the development of floating offshore wind.  

All of this sets the scene for a busy year and decade ahead, with new leasing opportunities on the horizon, and a significant pipeline of projects looking to move into consenting, building and operation.  

As we gear up to accelerate the growth of the sector, we need to tackle multiple challenges, including ongoing global volatility continuing to disrupt energy markets and supply chains. We are operating in a complex energy system and to keep new projects moving through the system at scale and pace, collaboration is fundamental. An appetite for more, and closer, collaboration between governments, nature conservation bodies, developers, investors and the energy system operator is evident. We’re entering into an exciting new era where we are seeing investment on a scale not seen before, pioneering innovations and commitments to doing things differently, strategic planning for the long-term health of the sector and ambition which matches, or even exceeds, that of 25 years ago.  

I hope you enjoy reflecting on another year in this vital sector, and here’s to the next 25 years of extraordinary progress. 

Gus Jaspert

Managing Director, Marine