The Welsh government has granted permission for a floating windfarm more than twice the size of the world’s largest.
Welsh ministers have signed off on planning for Blue Gem Wind to build and operate the Erebus project, a 100MW windfarm 40km off the coast of Pembrokeshire. Erebus is Wales’ first planned floating windfarm and will house next generation turbines on floating platforms, providing new low carbon energy and contributing to net zero targets and energy security.
First minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford, said: “We are ambitious for the floating offshore wind sector in Wales – we believe it has the potential to deliver sustainable sources of energy into the future and it is also a once-in-a-generation opportunity to open up new markets for local suppliers and to create thousands of high-quality jobs in Wales.
“The Erebus project has the potential to show the world that Wales and the Celtic Sea can deliver renewable energy alongside the sustainable management of our marine resources.”
Mike Scott, project managing director at Blue Gem Wind, added, “We welcome the decision from Welsh ministers to grant the necessary planning consents for project Erebus and have been working with Planning and Environment Decisions Wales and other key stakeholders since 2019 to develop a project that is sympathetic to the natural environment and minimises impacts to local communities and stakeholders.”
Erebus, named after the famous ship built in 1826 in Pembroke Dock, is another tangible step towards far greater wind capacity opened up by floating turbine technology, something that a number of countries have taken steps to lead the world in.
