Floating Offshore Wind Leasing Round 5

Celtic Sea Floating Offshore Wind Leasing Round 5 is an exciting opportunity to write a new chapter in the global offshore wind story, sitting in one of the world’s largest and most successful markets, underpinned by the UK’s generations of expertise, and with access to some of the best natural resources.

Over the last 25 years, offshore wind has established itself as the cornerstone of the UK’s move towards a more sustainable future, and is on track to meet the electricity needs of almost half of all UK homes in 2023.

As the deployment of offshore renewable energy accelerates around the world, floating wind farms are expected to play an increasingly significant role in the global energy mix, with the ability to be anchored in deeper waters than familiar fixed-base turbines. This means that new areas of the seabed can be used for the generation of renewable energy, where wind patterns are stronger and more reliable. The UK is well-placed to take advantage of this exciting new technology, with generations of expertise and experience in the energy market and – more recently – its leading role in offshore renewables.

Offshore Wind Leasing Round 5 seeks to establish a new floating wind sector in the Celtic Sea off the coasts of South Wales and South West England. It is expected to be the first phase of commercial development in the Celtic Sea, bringing an exciting opportunity to create up to 4.5GW of new renewable energy capacity, while acting as a springboard for new social, economic and environmental opportunities. In its Autumn Statement in November 2023, the UK Government confirmed its intention to unlock space for a further 12GW of capacity in the Celtic Sea.

Latest updates

7 December, 2023 - We have published an Information Memorandum (IM) which outlines details of the Round 5 opportunity, requirements, and anticipated timelines for the leasing process. You can find the IM in our Document Library.

Prospective Bidders are invited to join us at a Round 5 Bidders Day in Swansea on 31st January 2024, to hear all the details of the Round 5 tender and ask questions of our senior representatives. Bidders wishing to attend can register here by 17:00 (GMT) on 22 December 2023.  

The Round 5 leasing process will begin in early 2024 when pre-qualification questionnaires will be issued to prospective Bidders.  Detailed timings will be confirmed in due course. Should developers wish to express their early non-binding interest in participating in Round 5, they may do so by registering on The Crown Estate’s e-tendering portal. 

The Round 5 opportunity

Round 5 is defined by five objectives, which seek to deliver a compelling opportunity for developers and their supply chains, whilst setting the conditions for the sustainable development of a substantial new market opportunity for floating wind in the region.