The UK’s offshore wind sector is entering a defining decade one where innovation, collaboration, and resilience will determine how successfully we meet the UK’s clean energy ambitions.
In a recent Plymouth and South Devon Freeport webinar, Simon Cheeseman, Celtic Sea Floating Wind Programme Manager at the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult (ORE Catapult), shared his insights on where the sector is heading and the opportunities emerging for the South West.
Powering the UK’s Clean Energy Ambitions
Offshore wind is one of the UK’s great modern industrial success stories. From early fixed-bottom installations in the North Sea to next-generation floating platforms now being developed in deeper waters, the pace of change has been extraordinary.
Today, the UK has around 16 gigawatts of installed offshore capacity, with government targets aiming for up to 50 gigawatts by 2030 – a scale that would require hundreds of new turbines coming online every year. ORE Catapult is working hard to ensure Floating wind will be central to this next chapter, unlocking energy potential far from shore where winds are stronger and more consistent.
But meeting those targets is far from straightforward. Global supply chain disruption, rising costs, environmental considerations and the complexity of consenting processes are slowing progress. “We’re seeing growth in the sector, but also some big challenges,” said Simon Cheeseman. “Operating offshore is more expensive than ever, and we need to rethink how to accelerate delivery.”
Bigger, Deeper, Smarter
The technology is scaling up fast. Offshore turbines are already double the size of their onshore counterparts ORE Catapult expects to see 15–25 megawatt turbines becoming standard within the decade and is working on the engineering challenges. Towers are getting taller, blades longer, and platforms more sophisticated. At the same time ORE Catapult working with the industry is accelerating the adoption of marine autonomy to make offshore operations safer, cheaper, and greener. From drones that inspect turbine blades to subsea robots carrying out maintenance, automation is transforming how wind farms are built and managed.
“Eventually we’ll see turbines designed, maintained and perhaps even installed by robots,” Cheeseman suggested. “That’s the direction of travel and it’s one that plays to the South West’s strengths in marine autonomy.”
The South West: National Centre for Marine Autonomy
Plymouth and the wider region are already at the forefront of this emerging field. The Smart Sound Plymouth test range, University of Plymouth’s COAST Lab, and the National Centre for Coastal Autonomy with the help of ORE Catapult are helping to shape how offshore energy infrastructure is designed, tested, and protected.
The Plymouth and South Devon Freeport plays a crucial enabling role here offering the space, and partnerships needed for large-scale fabrication, assembly, and maintenance of offshore and floating wind infrastructure, along with tax and customs benefits that can reduce some of the costs of investment.
“The Freeport is absolutely vital for floating offshore wind,” said Cheeseman. “We need new facilities and manufacturing capacity to match the industry’s growth and Plymouth is well placed to deliver that.”
The Celtic Sea Opportunity
Closer to home, the Celtic Sea is rapidly becoming the next frontier for floating offshore wind. The Crown Estate has already awarded 3GW of leases, with more expected in the coming years. As projects progress from demonstration to commercial scale, the South West’s ports, universities, and supply chain businesses are poised to benefit.
Through initiatives like the Celtic Sea Cluster, regional collaboration is helping to build capability and attract investment. The goal is clear: to ensure UK companies capture more of the economic value of offshore wind from design and fabrication to operations and maintenance.
Currently, just 40% of UK offshore wind content is produced domestically; government and industry aim to lift that to at least 60% by 2030.
Charting a Course for the Future
As the energy transition accelerates, the UK’s offshore wind sector stands at a crossroads balancing scale with sustainability, and speed with sovereignty. Floating wind offers huge potential, but it will demand new models of collaboration between government, industry, academia, and regional initiatives like the Freeport.
“We’re building towards 100 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2050,” Cheeseman concluded. “It’s an enormous challenge but with the right innovation, infrastructure and partnerships, the UK and the South West can lead the world.”
You can reach out to Simon Cheeseman via his email simon.cheeseman@ore.catapult.org.uk