£3 million investment to advance EMEC DeepWind test and demonstration site
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) have awarded EMEC £3 million to advance the development of DeepWind and unlock the next generation of offshore wind technologies.
Awarded by the UK Government through UKRI’s Infrastructure Fund, the funding will enable EMEC to advance the development of DeepWind, a national floating and deepwater wind test site.
The UK’s future offshore wind ambitions depend increasingly on projects in deeper waters, but many of the technologies required for these developments still need to be demonstrated at scale, and existing test sites across Europe lack the necessary metocean conditions for the projects in the UK’s pipeline.
DeepWind will help bridge the gap between innovation and commercial deployment by providing plug-and-play infrastructure in a representative environment where deepwater and floating technologies can be tested, validated and de-risked before commercial deployment.
The £3 million investment over two years will support the engineering, environmental, regulatory and commercial work needed to reach Final Investment Decision and prepare DeepWind for delivery by 2030. This phase will also establish the technical, financial and governance foundations required to support that decision and the next phase of development.
The funding builds on work already underway through The Crown Estate’s Supply Chain Accelerator programme, which has supported feasibility studies, environmental assessments and industry engagement for DeepWind. This has established the technical requirements for DeepWind and potential sites have been identified that have metocean conditions and water depths representative of future offshore wind developments.
EMEC is continuing to seek input from developers, supply chain companies and other stakeholders to ensure DeepWind is shaped around future sector needs.
Mark Hamilton, EMEC’s Operations & Technology Director said:
“This funding marks an important milestone in the development of DeepWind and provides the foundation for the next step towards establishing a national deepwater wind test site by 2030.
“Industry engagement has highlighted strong interest in access to full scale test and demonstration infrastructure to help de-risk deepwater wind technology ahead of commercial deployment. The support from UKRI will allow us to build on the work already underway and develop the technical, environmental and commercial evidence needed to deliver that infrastructure.
“EMEC has spent more than two decades supporting marine energy innovation, and DeepWind represents an important opportunity to apply that experience to the next generation of offshore wind technologies. By providing a route to full-scale testing in representative deepwater conditions, DeepWind will accelerate the progress toward insurability and bankability, strengthen UK supply chains and reinforce the UK’s position as a global leader in offshore wind innovation.”
Adam Staines, Infrastructure Portfolio Director at UKRI, said:
“At UKRI, we recognise that the UK’s critical transition to clean energy depends on having the right research and innovation infrastructures in place to develop and scale new and exciting technologies and create real world impact.”
“EMEC has a proven track record of strengthening the UK’s clean energy ecosystem.
“This DeepWind investment will enable EMEC to deliver exciting new activity needed to assess the feasibility of a national deepwater wind testing capability for the UK. This will have the potential to unlock new opportunities in offshore wind innovation.”
