The Crown Estate has made a pair of senior appointments to oversee efforts in offshore wind and nature and environment, as it kicks off tendering on its fifth leasing round.
Initiated in December, the fifth wind leasing round promised to enable three new floating projects in the Celtic Sea totalling around 4.5GW.
The Crown Estate confirmed today that process is now underway, with publication of a Concession Notice via the UK Government Find a Tender service.
Crown Estate kicks off Celtic Sea wind leasing round
First announced in 2021, the programme was initially intended to establish 4GW of floating capacity by 2035, though the agency said the area could accommodate up to an additional 20GW by 2045.
At the same time the estate manager announced Julia Rose would join as its head of offshore wind, while Caroline Price has been confirmed as head of nature and environment having led the team on an interim basis since last year.
Ms Rose joins from TotalEnergies, where she served as the French energy giant’s head of development for offshore wind in the UK for around two years.
During that time the group completed its 1.1GW Seagreen project off the coast of Angus. Built in partnership with SSE Renewables, it is Scotland’s largest offshore wind farm and the world’s deepest fixed-bottom scheme.
In December it agreed to sell 25.5% of the scheme in a £552m deal with Thailand national oil firm PTTEP.
Meanwhile, TotalEnergies is also behind the floating 100MW Erebus scheme in the Celtic Sea, as well as projects planned off Lincolnshire and Orkney.
Prior to Total, Ms Rose worked as an offshore wind platform asset manager for Vattenfall and a commercial business manager for Orsted.
The Crown Estate said she will now play a “pivotal role” in facilitating the expansion of the agency’s offshore wind portfolio.
Commenting on her new role, Ms Rose said: “It’s my pleasure and privilege to be joining The Crown Estate at such a crucial time. The UK’s offshore wind industry is already one of the most ambitious in the world – but as stewards of our seabed The Crown Estate has a vital role to play in continuing to unlock opportunities that drive the growth of this green, secure source of energy in the right way for the natural world and its many users.
“I look forward to getting to work with the team to deliver on our innovative strategy that will aim to accelerate the deployment of offshore wind in support of the government’s ambition to meet Net Zero by 2050.”
Accelerating conservation efforts
Ms Price, who has been with the organisation since early 2022, will lead on The Crown Estate’s work to ensure that the marine ecosystem is enhanced and protected, aligned with the organisation’s purpose and strategy to deliver value for the nation and support nature.
She added: “The Crown Estate has been clear on the importance of protecting and promoting nature and biodiversity as it creates value for the nation. Natural assets underpin our ability to drive lasting and shared prosperity and we have an exciting opportunity to accelerate and increase the amount of conservation and restoration activity in the marine space.
“This includes exploring ways to increase the flow of finance into nature recovery and drive the skills and capacity building needed to realise opportunities for the future.
As The Crown Estate continues to support the UK on its journey towards net zero and nature recovery, I look forward to growing our contribution and collaborating with our partners and stakeholders to accelerate progress towards a more resilient and healthier marine environment.”
The organisation said the new recruits come as it progress plans to encourage a sustainable marine market, including plans to co-develop a ‘Marine Delivery Routemap’ to ensure that the seabed is managed in a holistic and sustainable way.
Managing director for marine Gus Jaspert said: “These appointments are a significant milestone as we accelerate our work to enable the clean energy transition, drive economic growth and jobs, and create and protect thriving marine environments.
“Both Julia and Caroline bring with them a wealth of experience in their respective areas, and I look forward to working closely with them and our wider team to deliver our critical national purpose.”
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