The Crown Estate is in the process of identifying areas of the Celtic Sea for commercial-scale floating offshore wind energy development.
These are part of the UK’s commitment to net zero by 2050 and the Crown Estate has set out plans that identify five broad areas for consideration that will be capable of generating 4GW by 2035 and a further 20GW by 2050.
According to the Cornish FPO, the eventual area will be 10-15% of the areas shown, but the PO is keen for the industry too demonstrate the importance of these areas for fishing.
‘The chance to do this is between now and the end of 2022,’ a CFPO representative said.
‘In response to the announcement, we have arranged a series of industry meetings where The Crown Estate will present the areas of search in more detail and explain how the fishing industry can engage and refine the areas. This will also be an opportunity to ask any immediate questions and suggest who else needs to be involved in the process over the next six months.’
Meeting are scheduled for Barnstaple (12th July), Padstow (13th July) and Newlyn (14th July).
The Crown Estate has already begun ongoing stakeholder engagement, by inviting views of their plan and the potential positive and negative impacts on the supply chain, fishing industry, ports, and energy grid.
There have been concerns raised around the potential displacement of fishing activity by floating offshore wind, especially vessels fishing species such as crab and lobster that are concentrated in small geographical areas. Concerns have also been raised about fishing safety, and the potential of floating offshore wind and associated infrastructure interfering with fishing equipment.
