The Cornwall FLOW Commission (CFC) project will prepare Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly for Floating Offshore Wind (FLOW) in the Celtic Sea. It will work strategically to ensure that the social and economic benefits of this industrialization at sea are maximized within the county. CFC is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Cornwall Council has been chosen by Government as a Lead Authority for the fund and is responsible for monitoring the progress of projects funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

The context for FLOW is the drive to assure energy security for the nation and meet net zero objectives. The Crown Estate (TCE) has set a target of 4.5GW of FLOW in this region by 2035, with a further 12GW by 2045. For comparison, the Hinkley-C plant in Somerset will provide 3.3GW of electricity. FLOW is a once-in-a-generation levelling up opportunity in the order of billions of pounds – but there is much work to do to ensure that CIOSLEP fully benefits.

This project will build on the knowledge and experience gained by Celtic Sea Power and the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult over the last two years from the Cornwall FLOW Accelerator. It will be highly collaborative with stakeholders in Cornwall and across the wider south-west and Wales.

Project activities fall into four strategic elements. These are:

Funded by

In partnership with

Piranha

Celtic Sea Power have developed the Piranha platform as part of the Cornwall FLOW Commission project’s consortium building activity. Piranha is a new online platform that supports proactivity by capable companies keen to develop solutions in advance of an emerging market challenge. Piranha encourages the formation of partnerships; provides relevant and practical information on the market challenge; and provides updates on commercial opportunities. It is designed to encourage collaborative thinking across the private sector supply chain.

Private sector roadmaps to suitable capacity

Celtic Sea Power are addressing the need to increase private sector capacity to maximize opportunity by running a procurement exercise seeking studies from private sector consortia outlining how they would develop the capacity necessary to deliver solutions to identified challenges.

The principal aims of this element of the project are to:

• Catalyse an increase in private sector capacity in key areas where there is significant opportunity. Such as through partnerships and consortiums, inward investment, and de-risking intervention.
• Provide focus on key market segments that are likely to provide the most relevant opportunities for de-risking positive impacts for Cornwall, the wider region and the UK.
• Address the need to increase private sector capacity to achieve the sufficient scale required to maximize opportunities.

Streamlining consenting and planning

Celtic Sea Power’s established data, models, and relationships will support the development and leadership of credible approaches to regional environmental characterization and the use of models as the basis for FLOW offshore engineering, assessment of consenting risk and identification of critical competing users of the marine space.

Understanding infrastructure capability

Celtic Sea Power are aiming to define the regional inward investment requirements for key infrastructure needed for Celtic Sea FLOW, including ports, grid, and energy system interfaces. This will empower Cornwall to attract greater private investment in local priorities, aligning with national roadmaps.

FLOWmark

FLOWmark is Celtic Sea Power’s accreditation scheme for training and education provision. Alongside FLOWmark, Celtic Sea Power have designed a bespoke FLOW career pathway guidance tool using a common taxonomy of skills which are needed to service the FLOW industry, and a live database of qualifications and training available in the county. This careers guidance capability will be used to support individuals into jobs in the FLOW sector, with targeted support for people in Cornwall who are classed as not in education, employment, or training.

The Cornwall FLOW Commission

Learnings from the CFC project will underpin the work of the Cornwall FLOW Commission. Cornwall FLOW Commission is an independent board with convening powers recently established through the devolution Level-2 deal.