Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what information his Department holds on the planned timeline for (a) the first turbines to become operational and (b) other aspects of the projects awarded leases under the Crown Estate’s Celtic Sea Floating Offshore Wind Leasing Round Five.

The Crown Estate has announced that Equinor and Gwynt Glas have now entered into agreements for lease to develop two new 1.5GW floating offshore wind projects in the Celtic Sea, which could be operational by the mid-2030s.

The Crown Estate has estimated that full delivery of the Round could support over 5,000 new jobs and deliver a £1.4bn boost to the UK economy.

While timing and allocation of contracts for manufacturing, construction and maintenance of the windfarms are commercial decisions for the companies involved, the Government is engaging with ports and public finance institutions to support development of supply chain and infrastructure needed for these projects and future floating wind development.