The Crown Estate has approved an increase in capacity for seven existing offshore wind farms, enabling the full potential of the current seabed lease areas to be maximized. According to The Crown Estate’s website, this expansion could deliver an additional 4.7 gigawatts of clean energy—enough to power approximately four million households.
The Crown Estate is a unique institution in the United Kingdom that manages a vast portfolio of land and marine assets owned by the Crown, yet operates independently of the monarch. Since the UK’s coastal seabeds are technically under the jurisdiction of The Crown Estate, the institution grants leases and licenses for the use of the seabed for offshore wind farms, cable routes, CO₂ storage, and other energy infrastructure projects.
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This decision is part of the UK government’s broader objective to reach 50 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030. It comes at a time when nearly 15 GW of offshore wind capacity is already installed in the UK’s energy system. A key advantage of this programme is the utilization of existing infrastructure and grid connections, enabling swift and efficient implementation without requiring additional land use.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has endorsed The Crown Estate’s assessment that the project is of national significance, as it supports the decarbonization of the electricity system by 2035, reduces dependence on imported fossil fuels, and stimulates the growth of the domestic industry and job creation.
In parallel with this development, The Crown Estate has also announced plans to modernize its legal framework through a new 2025 legislative act, which will grant it greater financial flexibility by allowing new borrowing and investment powers.
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