Energy & Utilities Energy and utilities

Crown Estate Seabed Lease

All offshore wind developments in English and Welsh waters require a seabed lease from The Crown Estate.

UK-wide
Guide summary

You need a seabed lease from The Crown Estate to build offshore wind farms in English and Welsh waters. Apply during competitive leasing rounds like Round 4 for fixed-bottom or Round 5 for floating wind. If successful, sign an Agreement for Lease and meet milestones to get a full lease.

  • Check The Crown Estate website for leasing rounds
  • Prepare technical and financial bid documents
  • Sign Agreement for Lease if successful
  • Meet milestones including DCO consent
  • Convert to full lease after DCO approval
  • Round 4 offers fixed-bottom wind leases
  • Round 5 offers floating wind leases
  • Existing projects can apply for capacity increases
  • New law may add 20-30GW by 2030
  • Scotland uses separate leasing rounds
On this page
UK-wide

Related guides in Offshore Wind Leasing

Development Consent Order (DCO)

Offshore wind farms exceeding 100MW and other Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) require a Development Consent Order from …

Marine Licence

Activities in the marine environment (below Mean High Water Springs) require a Marine Licence from the Marine Management …

Leasing rounds

The Crown Estate releases seabed rights through competitive leasing rounds:

  • Round 4: Fixed-bottom offshore wind in English waters
  • Round 5: Floating offshore wind in Celtic Sea (up to 4.5GW capacity)

Agreement for Lease

Successful bidders receive an Agreement for Lease, which becomes a full lease once key milestones are met (typically DCO consent).

Capacity Increase Programme

The Crown Estate's Capacity Increase Programme allows existing projects to expand, unlocking an additional 4.7GW of capacity.

Crown Estate Bill 2024

New legislation will expand Crown Estate powers to accelerate offshore wind development, potentially bringing 20-30GW to lease stage by 2030.

  1. 1

    Monitor leasing round announcements

    Monitor The Crown Estate website for future leasing round announcements

  2. 2

    Prepare competitive bid

    Prepare technical and financial submissions for competitive bidding

  3. 3

    Sign Agreement for Lease

    If successful, sign Agreement for Lease and progress through milestones

  4. 4

    Coordinate with DCO timeline

    Coordinate seabed lease with DCO application timeline

  5. 5

    Convert to full lease

    Once DCO granted, convert Agreement for Lease to full lease

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