This snapshot, taken on 02/10/2009, shows web content selected for preservation by The National Archives. External links, forms and search boxes may not work in archived websites.
The Crown Estate (CE) owns the majority of the seabed out to the 12-nautical-mile limit of territorial waters. Offshore renewable development on The CE’s marine estate requires The CE to grant a lease over a particular site.
Similar considerations apply in the Renewable Energy Zone although, because The CE does not own the seabed beyond the territorial limit, it issues a licence to develop a renewable energy installation rather than a lease.
In June 2008, The Crown Estate launched Round 3 of offshore wind leasing in UK waters. Awards will be made in 2009 following the Government’s decision on the Offshore Energy SEA. Information regarding Round 3 can be found on the Crown Estate (CE) website.
The Crown Estate leasing programme is expected to accelerate delivery of offshore wind farm projects, resulting in quicker consenting decisions and, ultimately, more wind farms generating renewable electricity, more quickly. We could expect the earliest projects to be in a position to apply for consents any time from 2010 and potentially being built from 2015 onwards.
