Cerulean Winds unveils $14bn floating wind project in UK North Sea

Green energy infrastructure developer Cerulean Winds has submitted plans for a 200-turbine floating wind and hydrogen development in the UK North Sea.

The £10bn ($14bn) proposed infrastructure would have the capacity to abate 20m tonnes of CO2 through simultaneous North Sea projects West of Shetland and in the Central North Sea, Cerulean said. A formal request for seabed leases has been submitted to Marine Scotland.

The project would have a capacity of 3 GW, feeding power to the offshore facilities and in excess of 1.5 GW power for onshore green hydrogen plants.

Cerulean stated that it has completed the necessary infrastructure planning for the scheme and anticipates a financial close in the first quarter of 2022. Construction would start soon after, with first power expected in 2024.

Dan Jackson, founding director of Cerulean Winds, said: “Emissions are quite rightly no longer acceptable, but with emissions penalties and taxes coming, the UK oil and gas industry’s role in homegrown energy security during the transition could be threatened unless current decarbonisation efforts can be greatly speeded up. The consequences of not moving quickly enough will be catastrophic for the economy and the environment.”