Two offshore wind farms win funding off Wales coastline

Two wind farm projects off the Welsh coast have received UK government funding to supply the national grid; officials say the developments could support up to 7,000 jobs and include Wales' first floating offshore wind farm, Erebus.

Two wind farm projects off the west and north coasts of Wales have been awarded UK government funding to supply power to the national grid. One project, Erebus, would be Wales' first floating offshore wind farm and is planned off Pembrokeshire. A second project, Awel y Mor, is a more traditional fixed-foundation wind farm proposed about 10 km off Rhyl in north Wales. Officials and developers say the projects aim to support jobs and wider development of floating wind technology in the Celtic Sea. Key facts: - The UK government funding was awarded to two projects: Erebus (floating) off Pembrokeshire and Awel y Mor (fixed turbines) off north Wales. - Erebus is planned by Blue Gem Wind, co-owned by Total, and is reported to include 7–10 turbines about 45 km offshore with a capacity of around 96 MW, said to power about 90,000 homes. - Awel y Mor, majority owned by RWE, is reported to include 34–50 turbines around 10 km off Rhyl, next to the existing Gwynt y Môr site, and the company has said construction could create about 2,000 jobs. - Officials and project statements estimate the developments could support up to 7,000 jobs overall, and Erebus is described as a pathway project that could lead to as many as 5,000 jobs over the next decade. - The funding comes from a government scheme to encourage renewable energy investment and forms part of plans to develop the Celtic Sea as a hub for floating offshore wind, while noting current limitations in local ports, supply chains and workforce. Summary: The funding is intended to expand renewable power generation off Wales and to stimulate jobs and supply chain development, particularly for floating turbine technology in the Celtic Sea. It is reported that the projects could support thousands of jobs, but local infrastructure and supply chains are currently limited. Undetermined at this time.