Summit at Cornwall’s Eden Project Marks Shift from Development to Delivery for Celtic Sea FLOW
The Celtic Sea FLOW Summit 2024 convened senior leaders from the private and public sector at the Eden Project on October 1st. Organised by Celtic Sea Power, the summit sought to address how to ensure development of Celtic Sea FLOW will improve lives in Cornwall and the wider region.
Floating Offshore Wind in the Celtic Sea is now at a critical stage; test and demonstration projects are imminent and commercial scale projects are currently in the Round 5 lease application process. To build out The Crown Estate’s target of 4.5GW of FLOW by the late-2030s though, many challenges must still be overcome. Most prominently, how to ensure that full socio-economic and environmental benefits are realised within the regions that host this burgeoning new energy industry.
A range of expert speakers, panelists and delegates will gather today at the Eden Project to articulate practical solutions under the theme of “Development to Delivery”. This annual event is organised by Celtic Sea Power, and builds on previous summits; 2021 – G7 The FLOW Opportunity, 2022 – Facing the Challenges and 2023 – Raise the Bar. It is supported by the Cornwall FLOW Strategic Sector Development Project being delivered by Celtic Sea Power Ltd and the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult which has received £1m from the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Good Growth Programme, a £137m local investment fund managed by Cornwall Council and funded by the UK Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
“FLOW presents a golden opportunity to drive social, environmental and economic value in our region – with ambition, collaboration and investment clarity we can deliver on that opportunity” said Piers Guy, Renewable Energy Lead at the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Economic Forum, in opening remarks at the summit.
The Crown Estate then provided an update on planned FLOW development in the Celtic Sea. Tim Stiven of TCE said “Offshore wind is one of the UK’s biggest industrial success stories, not only powering homes but creating countless opportunities for coastal communities. Floating offshore wind is an exciting new chapter in this story, with a major leasing round already underway in the Celtic Sea and new opportunities in the pipeline off the South West coast. We look forward to working with businesses, communities and other users of the seas as these plans develop.”
Jayne Kirkham, the new MP for Falmouth and Truro, spoke on the high potential for social value to be realised from FLOW. However, securing investment into our workforce and infrastructure, such as the region’s ports, will be vital – as addressed by an expert panel. Private sector ambition was made clear through quick-fire presentations by several local companies who are leading consortia to build from existing UK strengths such as; anchors and moorings, operations and maintenance and environmental services. A session on solutions to the challenges faced by ambitious UK companies featured Tim Pick, board member of the Offshore Wind Growth Partnership Tim said of the session that: “There is a lot of industry excitement about FLOW in the Celtic Sea but we now need to shift mindset to how it can be delivered”.
Recognising the vital importance of regional coherence, the final session featured senior leaders from the South West, Wales and Cornwall to draw together the key findings of the day. In closing remarks, Kate Kennally, the chief executive of Cornwall Council said “FLOW is a huge opportunity for Cornwall but it is an opportunity that can only be realised in concert with the whole Celtic Sea region”
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