The Crown Estate has finalised the plan-level Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) for Floating Offshore Wind Leasing Round 5 in the Celtic Sea, facilitating the establishment of commercial scale floating wind farms.
The HRA covers Project Development Areas (PDAs) and Test and Demonstration projects, ensuring protected environmental sites won’t be adversely affected.
This approach, a first for The Crown Estate, aims to provide early guidance to bidders, reduce uncertainty and mitigate environmental impact.
Olivia Thomas, Head of Planning and Technical, Marine, at The Crown Estate said: “Round five is set to see a new technology deployed at commercial scale for the first time in a new location, and this sense of innovation runs through our approach to the whole leasing round.
“This includes carrying out the vital work on a Plan-Level HRA at this early stage, which not only underlines our responsibility to protect and preserve important marine habitats but gives developers clarity over what will be expected of them as they prepare for the tender process.”
