The UK Crown Estate has revealed its proposal to invest up to £400m ($542.5m) of capital in the supply chain of the country’s offshore wind sector.
The Crown Estate, a collection of marine and land assets and holdings that belong to the monarch, has stated in its new Powering Offshore Wind publication that it would focus on supportive investments into new onshore enabling infrastructure over the medium term.
These investments are intended to support the construction of new infrastructure, including ports, supply chain manufacturing, and research and testing facilities.
“Insufficient supply chain capacity is recognised as a key constraint to further offshore wind deployment. Investing in and building this enabling infrastructure will allow the UK to drive forward its clean energy transition and create growth opportunities within local communities,” the Crown Estate explained.
A new £350m Supply Chain Investment Programme is being established to invest in the construction of new port and supply chain infrastructure that will support accelerated delivery of UK offshore wind projects.
Furthermore, the organisation’s £50m Supply Chain Accelerator supports early-stage project development and is currently running its second funding round, having awarded nearly £5m to 13 organisations in December 2024.
The second round is seeking to award up to £15m and has an expanded scope to include UK ports and port-related infrastructure.
“Building out enabling infrastructure is critical if we are to accelerate deployment off our coasts, derisk projects for investors and create local economic opportunities,” said Ben Brinded, head of investment at The Crown Estate.
