The seabed manager for England and Wales acknowledges a “stepping stone” strategy to leasing up to 4GW of floating wind power. With recent training cohorts centered in Malaysia and Indonesia, it’s evident that there’s a lot of interest in offshore wind, hydrogen, and floating wind in the Far East.

Crown Estate stated that continued stakeholder participation is a vital aspect of ensuring that coastal and marine natural ecosystems are protected and, where feasible, enhanced, which is at the core of the leasing method.

It has also been interacting with the market to solicit feedback on a variety of issues that impact the spatial design, size, sequencing, and timing of project sites. Ports and supply chains, technology kinds, and electrical grid preparedness are among them.

The market also gave its thoughts on preferred floating wind technology types and how to deliver a coordinated grid solution to help speed grid construction while minimizing impacts on communities onshore throughout the engagement. The necessity for investment in both the UK supply chain and port infrastructure was also mentioned in response to the program’s ambitious magnitude.