The funding will support the ngineering, environmental, regulatory and commercial work needed to reach Final Investment Decision and prepare DeepWind for delivery by 2030. This phase will also establish the technical, financial and governance foundations required to support that decision and the next phase of development.
Across the North Sea and beyond, the wind turbine sector has made full use of the 'easy' sites for fixed bottom sites, such as sandbanks and other areas of shallow water, with thousands of turbines still needing to be deployed to reach decarbonisation goals.
EMEC explains that the technologies needed for deepwater wind and floating arrays need to be demonstrated at scale, and existing test sites across Europe lack the necessary metocean conditions for the projects in the UK’s pipeline.
DeepWind will help bridge the gap between innovation and commercial deployment by providing plug-and-play infrastructure in a representative environment where deepwater and floating technologies can be tested, validated and de-risked before commercial deployment.
The funding builds on work already underway through The Crown Estate's Supply Chain Accelerator programme, which has supported feasibility studies, environmental assessments and industry engagement for DeepWind. This has established the technical requirements for DeepWind and potential sites have been identified that have metocean conditions and water depths representative of future offshore wind developments.
EMEC is continuing to seek input from developers, supply chain companies and other stakeholders to ensure DeepWind is shaped around future sector needs.
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