In response to the Welsh Affairs Committee’s
report, Floating offshore wind in
Wales, the UK Government states that the UK has more floating
wind capacity than any other country, and that it plans to build
on the UK’s position further.
The Committee welcomes the UK Government’s commitment to floating
offshore wind (FLOW). Its report published in March set out how
to make the most of the opportunity, particularly in relation to
rolling out FLOW in the Celtic Sea.
In the British Energy Security Strategy, the UK Government
outlined its ambition to deploy up to 5GW of FLOW by 2030. The
Committee recommended that further targets be developed beyond
2030 to offer greater certainty to the sector. However, the UK
Government rejected this recommendation, stating that the benefit
of targets “must be balanced against a need to observe how
emerging technologies develop over time”.
The Committee argued that the potential for wealth and job
creation in Wales from FLOW is too great to be missed. As such,
the Report stressed the opportunity for local supply chains, and
called for ‘local content’ requirements to be included in the
Contracts for Difference scheme. The Committee also recommended
that Welsh ports receive at least half of the funding from the
Floating Offshore Wind Manufacturing Investment Scheme (FLOWMIS)
due to the unique opportunity for the Celtic Sea to host FLOW.
The UK Government rejected these recommendations on the basis of
WTO rules and the competitive bidding process for FLOWMIS
allocation.
The Committee has previously considered grid capacity and has
argued that network constraints could impede the delivery of
renewable energy projects. FLOW in the Celtic Sea is no
exception, and in the UK Government’s response it outlined steps
to accelerate delivery of electricity network infrastructure,
with an action plan to be published later this year.
Welsh Affairs Committee Chair, Rt Hon , said:
“Floating offshore wind is an enormous opportunity in the
Celtic Sea, and one that must be championed at the earliest point
so we can have first mover advantage. The UK Government’s
response to our report is a reassuring commitment to FLOW more
widely across the UK. We have heard that other countries find
ways to ensure local content for supply chains and urge the UK
Government to do the same. Wales must benefit proportionately
from FLOWMIS funding.”
