Proposals

Why we need offshore wind

Climate change is one of the biggest challenges the world faces. It is affecting every country and we must all play a role in helping to combat it.

This project can play a role in the energy transition by delivering a significant volume of offshore wind in support of the Welsh and UK Governments' targets.

The UK is a world leader in offshore wind and the seas around us are ideal for harnessing wind power. Our project will be operational by 2030 and will play a key role in tackling climate change by:

• Generating low carbon electricity from an offshore wind farm in support of the decarbonisation and security of the Welsh and UK electricity supply.
• Optimising generation capacity within the constraints of available sites and grid infrastructure.
• Supporting the Welsh Government's aim for renewables to generate electricity equal to 70 per cent of Wales's consumption by 2030 as set out in the Net Zero Strategic Plan.
• Delivering a significant volume of offshore wind in support of the UK Government's Net Zero by 2050 target and commitment to deliver up to 50 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind by 2030.
• Co-existing and collaborating with other activities, developers and operators to enable the balance of different users.

This project will also:

• Contribute to achieving the aims of the UK's Energy Security Strategy.
• Contribute to the local, regional and national economy by providing substantial investment, as well as employment and new infrastructure during all phases of the project.
• Continue to drive technology and development costs down to provide low-cost energy to consumers and provide community benefits.
• Align with the key drivers in current and planned updates to national policy in Wales and the UK.

The UK already generates around 13GW of its power from offshore wind. It plays an increasingly important role in our energy mix. For example, for a period on 29 January 2022 offshore wind was providing 66% of our total energy output.

This is impressive progress, but we need to go a lot further. To achieve our climate goals, we need to quadruple our offshore wind generation, meaning we need up to 50GW of generating capacity installed and operating by 2030.