The Crown Estate Lays Big Floating Offshore Wind Plans

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Last Updated on: 8th April 2025, 11:10 am

In the upside down world of US energy policy, the nation’s vast potential for offshore wind energy has been sidelined by a swipe of President Trump’s pen, costing thousands of supply chain jobs all over the country. Woe is us. Elsewhere around the world, though, the offshore wind industry is continuing to push fossil fuels out of the global economy, and The Crown Estate of the UK is front and center with a new floating offshore wind plan.

4.5 Gigawatts More Offshore Wind For The UK

As the manager of the seabed surrounding England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, The Crown Estate has offshore leasing authority similar to that exercised by the Department of the Interior here in the US. However, the Interior Department’s lease program evaporated when President Trump issued an executive order suspending it. In contrast, King Charles has no such power over The Crown Estate, despite the word “Crown” in its title. Besides, everyone knows that King Charles is a big admirer of the UK’s offshore wind resources.

About five years ago, The Crown Estate began meeting with government, industry, community, and environmental stakeholders to explore the most appropriate sites for offshore wind development in the Celtic Sea. That part of the process culminated last year with the identification of three sites for floating wind turbines off the coasts of Wales and South West England.

With site selection accomplished, the next step was administration of the leases. That process began in February of 2024 and is almost complete.

“Known as Offshore Wind Leasing Round 5, the process is expected to award rights for three new floating wind farms in the Celtic Sea, capable of generating enough new renewable energy capacity to power more than four million homes (up to 4.5 gigawatts),” The Crown Estate explained in a press statement on April 7.

Four million homes! That’s…something the US could easily accomplish, but, oh, well.

Make That 20-30 More Gigawatts Of Offshore Wind

In the latest news about the Celtic Sea program, The Crown Estate has culled the proposals down to a shortlist of bidders eligible to compete for the leases. If all goes according to plan, the auction will be held later this spring and the lease agreements will be signed over the summer.

Notably, bidders on the new wind farms were tasked with including plans to create jobs and stimulate onshore economic activity, very similar to the offshore leasing program developed by the Interior Department in the US.

“Research published last year by The Crown Estate showed these new wind farms could support the creation of more than 5,000 jobs and deliver a £1.4 billion boost to the economy, with further opportunities through the supply chain,” The Crown Estate notes.

“The Crown Estate, which exists to create lasting and shared value from its activities for the benefit of the nation, has made securing new onshore jobs and opportunities a cornerstone of its approach to this latest leasing round,” The Crown Estate emphasizes about itself.

The initial goal of up to 4.5 gigawatts is just for starters. According to The Crown Estate’s “Future of Offshore Wind” report, the goal is to add 20-30 more gigawatts of offshore wind leases by 2030.

In the Celtic Sea, not counting the Round 5 leases, The Crown Estate estimates that 4-10 more gigawatts could be leased by 2030, with the total eventually climbing up to 12 gigawatts if the full potential of the area is realized.

Meanwhile, Back In The USA…

Oh the irony, it burns. Floating wind turbines are a relatively new development in the offshore wind field, enabling wind farms to be located in waters that are too deep for conventional monopile construction. The US government — meaning the taxpaying public, of course — has devoted many dollars to help floating wind innovators bring their wares to market over the years, and they are, just not in the US (see lots more floating wind background here).

As if to rub salt in the floating offshore wind wound, The Crown Estate announced its Celtic Sea floating wind plans in a press release larded with references to all the economic activity to be enjoyed by the UK, not the US.

Here’s Energy Secretary Ed Miliband to start things off: “…we will reap the benefits of economic growth and thousands of jobs in Wales and the South West.”

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds chipped in his two cents: “The UK is open for business, and this leasing round will help unlock vital new investment in our world-leading floating offshore wind industry to create jobs and prosperity in our coastal communities.”

Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning, Rebecca Evans, also chimed in: “Our ports are well positioned to support this growing industry and we’re committed to ensuring such developments deliver lasting economic benefits for Wales whilst continuing to strengthen our position as a renewable energy leader.”

Not to be outdone, RenewableUK’s Deputy Chief Executive Jane Cooper said: “By 2050, floating turbines could provide a third of the UK’s offshore wind capacity with 40 gigawatts fully operational…By then, our analysis shows that the UK’s floating wind industry will employ 97,000 people, contributing £47 billion to our economy.”

And so on and so forth. Woe is us…

Next Steps For the US Offshore Wind Industry

Adding insult to injury, Trump did not just suspend further offshore lease activity in the US. He is also clawing back permits that already passed through the approval process.

The news organization Marine Link took stock of the US offshore wind situation earlier this week, noting that four wind farms are in operation now. It doesn’t seem likely that Trump could pull the leases out from under them, but then again nothing is likely about the thin-skinned Commander-in-Chief (pro tip: next time, don’t vote for the convicted felon).

Four other projects are still under construction. If the rule of law still applies in the US, one might expect these projects to continue on to completion, but Marine Link noted that “some analysts have warned that projects already under construction may not be safe from attacks by the Trump administration,” citing at-risk projects in Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, and Virginia.

Oddly enough, two projects that may survive the Trump axe are taking shape in Louisiana, where stakeholders in the offshore oil and gas industry applied their skills to help launch the US offshore wind industry, only to see it die on the vine. As a sort of consolation prize, state officials have been eyeing the idea of constructing two wind farms in waters under state jurisdiction, where they are presumably safe from the Trump chopping block.

Or not, as the case may be. Although the state waters do not fall under the Interior Department’s lease program, the news organization Louisiana Illuminator notes that other federal permits apply. Stay tuned…

Photo (cropped): The US invested millions to help develop floating offshore wind turbine technology, only to see the floating wind turbines  float off to other nations (courtesy of The Crown Estate).