Offshore wind projects receive £60m in new funding

Floating offshore wind projects will receive more than £60m in public and private investment to develop new technologies.

The UK government is today announcing 11 successful projects that will each be awarded up to £10m as it puts forward £31.6m to boost the amount of clean renewable energy generated in the country.

In addition to this, industry will match the investment bringing the total to over £60m – driving green energy investment and levelling up parts of the country including in Aberdeen, Swansea and Yorkshire.

The cash boost will further research in floating offshore wind with projects across the United Kingdom set to receive funding that will accelerate the deployment of turbines in seas around the UK. Research will focus on areas such as how turbines are moored to the seabed, undersea cabling and developing foundation solutions.

Energy Minister Greg Hands said: “We are already a world leader in offshore wind and floating technology is key to unlocking the full potential of the seas around Britain. These innovative projects will help us expand renewable energy further and faster across the UK and help to reduce our exposure volatile global gas prices”

According to the government, by stimulating development through the Floating Offshore Wind Demonstration Programme, the costs of building and locating floating turbines in deep-water areas will come down faster, growing the UK supply chain and supporting the of delivering 1GW of energy through floating offshore wind by 2030.

One such project receiving more than £9.6m is a collaborative scheme with bases in Edinburgh, Belfast, London and Doncaster, developing and demonstrating new technologies for mooring floating turbines to the seabed, cable protection, a floating turbine base design and an advanced digital monitoring system.

Another project with bases in Cambridge, Feltham, Aberdeen and Blyth, will get £10m for bringing forward a compact floating turbine foundation and anchors that will likely enable a 2MW, or larger, turbine to be demonstrated in UK waters.

Director of the Supergen ORE Hub Professor Deborah Greaves said: “I am delighted that the Floating Offshore Wind Demonstration Programme will support new projects in key areas of research and innovation for the ORE sector.

“The new projects are well aligned with the Research Landscape of the Supergen ORE Hub and demonstrate the great benefit to the sector of academics and industry experts working closely together – utilising their combined knowledge and expertise – to advance the UK’s Net Zero Strategy.”

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