Future Offshore Wind – Bi-lateral Discussions with Developers and Investors – Preliminary Market Engagement Notice

The Crown Estate, as manager of the seabed around England, Wales and Northern Ireland, periodically holds competitive tenders to award seabed rights for the development, construction and operation of offshore wind farms. In September 2024, The Crown Estate set out its approach to bringing such future tenders to market in its Future of Offshore Wind publication (Future of offshore wind | The Crown Estate). This was alongside a report setting out our ambition to develop a Marine Delivery Routemap, to help enable a more holistic approach to seabed development in the future. Building on the approach taken in previous leasing rounds, such as Offshore Wind Leasing Rounds 4 and 5, The Crown Estate is committed to engaging a broad spectrum of stakeholders to inform the development of future leasing processes. In this context, The Crown Estate intends to initiate bilateral discussions with offshore wind developers and investors. These engagements are designed to foster a deeper understanding of both individual company and industry-wide perspectives, ensuring that the evolving needs and priorities of the sector are thoughtfully considered in shaping future leasing opportunities alongside developing value for money for the nation. This engagement is intended for offshore wind developers and investors only i.e. those who may be interested in bidding in a leasing round, either as a sole bidder or as part of a consortium. The Crown Estate will engage with other categories of stakeholder at appropriate times and in an appropriate way. If offshore wind project development and investment companies wish to participate in this engagement, then they should apply by sending an email to offshorewind@thecrownestate.co.uk. In the event of excessive interest to take part in this engagement, we will select participants based on level of previous and current participation in the offshore wind industry and other related or relevant sectors. The Crown Estate is in the process of designing future offshore wind leasing rounds, which these discussions will inform. There is currently no formal date for the launch of the next offshore wind leasing round. The date set out below (the “Engagement deadline”) refers to the date by which TCE intends to conclude this phase of bilateral engagement with developers and investors. This engagement is the subject of this PME Notice, rather than any contract notice for a leasing process. For further information on The Crown Estate’s involvement in offshore wind, please visit https://www.thecrownestate.co.uk/our-business/marine/offshore-wind.