Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

Floating offshore wind is the use of turbines based on floating structures that allow the turbine to generate power in water depths not feasible for fixed bottom turbines. The floating structures are similar to floating platforms that have been used for decades in the oil and gas industry, as such, they are designed to keep the structure stable while at sea. The floating turbines are connected to the seabed with anchors and mooring lines enabling floating wind farms to be installed in much deeper waters and further out to sea. This has several benefits, from taking advantage of stronger and more consistent winds, to reduced visual and environmental impacts. Floating offshore wind technologies also unlock major economic benefits and supply chain opportunities for the local area.
• There is the potential for the fishing community and offshore wind developers to work hand in hand to minimise disruption and where possible enhance fish resources to allow a sustainable industry for both.

The development of floating offshore wind is essential to decarbonising the UK’s energy supply and tackling climate change. The UK government has set important targets to steer the transition to a clean zero carbon future with the overall goal of reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The UK has targets to develop 1GW of floating offshore wind by 2030, and 4GW by 2035. The Llŷr projects make a significant contribution to meeting the UK’s target for 1GW of floating offshore wind by 2030.

The Celtic Sea offers excellent wind resource potential for the implementation of floating offshore wind technology. This is a significant low carbon resource that has previously been unattainable because of the water depth. In addition, reports suggest that the Celtic Sea has different weather patterns to the North Sea meaning that there will be system benefits to the UK grid.

We identified the potential site at an early stage prior to The Crown Estate coming out to consultation about a commercial leasing programme. We were in consultation with The Crown Estate for eighteen months investigating the feasibility of the site.

The Llŷr 1 and 2 projects are located at their closest point, the edge of each project is approximately 38km and 31km from the Welsh coastline and 67km and 57km from the Devon coastline.

The project will power in the region of 200,000¹¹ homes with 200MW of clean, green energy.

The project needs to connect to the grid at the optimal location in terms of transmission capacity and efficiency. We have applied to connect at the National Grid Point of Connection at Pembroke. To achieve this, we will need to bring the cables from the coast to the point of connection and construct a substation. Any visual impact will be minimised with plans to bury the cables from the shoreline to the substation.

The offshore and onshore cable routes are currently under consideration and will be identified following the technical assessments and consultation with stakeholders. We aim to work with other developers in the Celtic Sea to achieve cabling solutions that minimise environmental interactions, impact on neighbouring commercial activities, and stakeholder concerns. Our intention is to share and co-locate cable routes wherever this is technically and commercially viable. Our current favoured export cable route identifies Freshwater Bay as the preferable landfall, although other alternative routes are under consideration and are undergoing technical engineering assessments.

We are considering several technologies for the turbines and floaters. Our choice of technology is expected to be confirmed in later 2024.

The project life cycle is up to 30 years.

It is anticipated that the proposed Project would be operational for a period of up to 30 years from final commissioning, followed by a decommissioning process. The decommissioning process will largely mirror the installation process, in reverse, with platforms and moorings removed and returned to local ports for disassembly and disposal. The decommissioning phase is expected to be complete within 12 months.

The ORE Catapult reports that the first GW of floating wind power in the Celtic Sea would create as many as 3.000 jobs and almost £700m in supply chain opportunities for Wales and Cornwall in the coming decade alone. Unlike bottom-fixed constructions (which are assembled at sea) floating turbines need to be completely assembled onshore (at quayside) before being towed to sea to be installed. This means major economic opportunities for the local economies around ports and local supply chain that need to service the construction and maintenance of floating wind farms. We are therefore actively engaging with the supply chain in Wales and the South West.

This project represents a major investment opportunity for Wales and we want the local community to extract maximum benefit from it. We will collaborate with local stakeholders to examine the potential to secure full economic, social and environment benefit from the project.

We are working with Welsh Government, ORE Catapult, Pembrokeshire County Council, Regional Learning Partnerships to understand the education, skills and training requirements in order to plan ahead to meet the opportunity for the emerging industry. We want to inform and inspire young people across learning institutions to consider and take up career paths within the industry via primary, secondary, Higher and Further Education.

We are working with partners right across the region to deliver education and outreach to children and young people. We want to provide the opportunity to build meaningful and lasting relationships with local education providers, our ambition is to add value to educational programmes in order to inform our next generation of the role that floating offshore wind could play. We are working with schools directly, in partnership with organisations such as the Darwin Centre in Pembroke, providing workshops and opportunities for pupils to understand the energy challenges we face. We give them the tools they need to think creatively about solutions and how different technologies could play a part in addressing the challenge.

We recognise that any development has the potential to have an effect on its local environment.
The project team and our environmental advisers believe that, with the right project design and approach, the project can minimise and manage any negative impacts, while delivering an overall net positive impact on biodiversity. The site will provide the potential for environmental research supporting how floating wind interacts at a large scale with the natural environment and local interests enabling better understanding of the benefits and challenges and identifying opportunities to enhance the local environment

The site selected has been deliberately chosen to minimise visual impact. The boundary of the project is approximately 31km from the Welsh shore and 38km from Lundy Island. As the visual assessment progresses a number of photomontages from specific locations around the Pembrokeshire coast will be taken and used to inform our consultation with statutory bodies and members of the public. The project team is working to minimise any negative visual impact and it is worth noting that all cables will be buried underground, onshore work will be centred around the substation/control building near to the grid connection point. Design options will be shared with local stakeholders at the earliest opportunity.

We are in the process of gathering data on fishing activity in the region with discussions with relevant fishing organisations, local fishing vessel operators and government bodies. As part of this data collection we are speaking with fishermen to identify key fishing grounds. Commercial fisheries are scoped into the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the project and potential impacts will be fully considered and suitable mitigation measures developed as appropriate. The scope of the impact assessment for fisheries will follow the outcome of the scoping opinion, standard EIA methodology and taking into consideration of feedback from fisheries stakeholders.

The Llŷr projects are not part of the Celtic Sea offshore leasing round being currently being planned by The Crown Estate. Floventis Energy was awarded the agreement for lease for the Llŷr developments by the Crown Estate in July 2021 subject to a Habitats Regulation Assessment. This allows Floventis as the developer to progress with environmental assessments and surveys, secure access to the grid and seek planning consent through the statutory processes.

We expect to submit our full planning application later in 2024 so we are currently in a process of engagement and consultation with local residents, businesses and community organisations across a wide area around the Llŷr projects. We will publish more detailed timelines for consultation in due course which you will be able to find on our website.

You can read more about the planning process on our Planning and Consultation page on our website.

Please register for project updates via info@llyrwind.com.