RWE targets at least 1 GW of floating wind in Celtic Sea

March 23 (Renewables Now) - RWE AG (ETR:RWE) will bid in the upcoming Celtic Sea offshore leasing round with the ambition to secure at least 1 GW of capacity, the German power group said on Wednesday.

The Crown Estate will later in 2023 launch its first Celtic Sea leasing tender, which could deliver 4 GW of floating offshore wind between 2030 and 2035.

RWE unveiled its vision for the Celtic Sea at the Marine Energy Wales conference in Swansea. It said that according to studies the first GW of floating wind in the Celtic Sea has the potential to bring around 3,000 jobs and GBP 682 million (USD 836.5m/EUR 775.6m) in supply chain opportunities for Wales and the southwest of England.

The company had already said it is looking to deploy a pipeline of gigawatt-scale floating wind projects in the Celtic Sea as part of the upcoming leasing round. RWE has been preparing for the opportunity by forming partnerships with Tata Steel UK, ABP Port Talbot, the Port of Milford Haven and Marine Power Systems of Swansea.

If the company succeeds in the leasing round, its Celtic Sea projects will be part of the development of its Pembroke Net Zero Centre.

“The Celtic Sea region is pivotal to RWE’s ‘Growing Green’ strategy in the UK, where we expect to invest GBP 15 billion in clean energy infrastructure by 2030,” said Tom Glover, UK country chair at RWE.

(GBP 1.0 = USD 1.227/EUR 1.137)