Blue Gem Wind, has secured the necessary consents to take Wales’ first floating offshore wind farm forward. The 100MW Erebus project which will provide enough low carbon energy to power 93,000 homes will be located approximately 40km off the Pembrokeshire coastline and represents a significant milestone for Welsh interests in this growing industry.
Commenting on the announcement, Director of RenewableUK Cymru, Jessica Hooper, said:
“The significance of this project cannot be underestimated. As the first project going ahead in the Celtic Sea, it represents a crucial stepping-stone of opportunity; in supply chain, jobs, economic growth and importantly, decarbonisation.
“Welsh Government is currently consulting on ambitious new targets for the generation of clean energy to move us closer to becoming a net zero nation. Floating wind will have a key role to play in helping us achieve these ambitions.
“However, realising the full potential of the Celtic Sea is contingent on recognition of the pipeline requirements for port infrastructure, grid and appropriate levels of revenue support. We must now focus on these areas to ensure further projects can be delivered to meet Welsh and UK targets for net zero.“
Mike Scott, Project Managing Director at Blue Gem Wind, said: “We welcome the decision from Welsh Ministers to grant the necessary planning consents for project Erebus and have been working with Planning and Environment Decisions Wales and other key stakeholders since 2019 to develop a project that is sympathetic to the natural environment and minimises impacts to local communities and stakeholders. Erebus, which will be the first floating wind farm in Wales, will play a crucial role in advancing the deployment of what will become a globally important low carbon technology.”
Erebus, named after the famous ship built in 1826 in Pembroke Dock, is due to be commissioned in 2026 and marks the start of Blue Gem Wind’s stepping stone approach to floating wind development in the Celtic Sea.