Crown Estate offers offshore wind site extensions

Firms constructing Round 1 and 2 offshore wind projects have been given the opportunity to apply for area extensions by The Crown Estate.

There is also a possibility for new entrants to work in partnership with existing project owners on extension schemes, as many Round 1 and 2 projects are either already operational or well-progressed.

The site extension will issue 50-year leases to allow developers a full operational period for their projects and to plan for future "repowering" of projects with new turbines.

Rob Hastings, director of marine estates at The Crown Estate, said the extension of existing sites will provide the offshore wind supply chain with further confidence that the pipeline of new construction projects will expand.

"Site extensions can provide additional offshore wind generation capacity that could be installed and in operation in a relatively short timescale – lending further support to government renewable energy targets," he said.

Developers are being asked to register their initial interest in this process by a closing date of 9 September 2009 and a detailed application process will follow.

Round 1, launched in 2000, was intended to act as a "demonstration" round, enabling prospective developers to gain technological, economic and environmental expertise.

Of the 17 projects originally allocated, seven are now fully operational and four are still under construction.

A competitive tender process for Round 2 sites was launched in 2003. Fifteen projects with a combined capacity of 7.2GW were awarded Crown Estate agreements.

Maria McCaffery, BWEA chief executive, welcomed the announcement that offshore wind farms could be extended. "The UK now leads the world in installed offshore capacity and the technology is set to contribute significantly to the country's energy needs," she said.

Any new proposals will be subject to Strategic Environmental Assessments before being given the go-ahead.