Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Floating Offshore Wind: Celtic Sea

Wednesday 6 December 2023 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Minister has frequent discussions with Cabinet colleagues to support the development of floating offshore wind in the Celtic Sea.
  • The electricity systems operator is reviewing the design of connections for offshore wind projects, including cabling and grid reconfiguration.
  • The Secretary of State is committed to involving fishing organizations from Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales in offshore wind planning to address concerns.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Selaine Saxby
Climate Energy
Context

The MP is concerned about the need for discussions and plans to expedite the development of floating offshore wind in the Celtic Sea.

Question

What discussions has he had with Cabinet colleagues on expediting the development of floating offshore wind in the Celtic Sea?

Answer from David Davies

I have regular—in fact, frequent—conversations with Cabinet colleagues and stakeholders to support the floating offshore wind industry. The Government fully supports plans for up to 4 GW of floating offshore wind in the Celtic Sea, and we are working to bring forward an additional 12 GW through the 2030s, with the potential to bring forward £20 billion-worth of investment.

Answered
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Q2 Selaine Saxby
Climate Energy Environment
Context

The MP highlights the importance of appropriate planning to minimize disruption to communities from previous offshore wind developments on England's east coast.

Question

Previous offshore wind developments on England's east coast have shown that appropriate planning is needed to minimise disruption to communities. Does my right hon. Friend agree that the development of floating offshore wind in the Celtic sea should mean single-cable corridors—one to his side of the water, and just one to the north coast of Devon or Cornwall—to reduce environmental and societal disruption?

Answer from David Davies

I know that the electricity systems operator is currently reviewing the design of connections for offshore wind projects. I have been meeting National Grid to discuss some of the issues around cabling and the reconfiguration of the grid. The decision as to where the cables will go and how many of them there will be is a fairly technical one, but the Crown Estate and National Grid would be more than happy to talk to her about that.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The answerer did not explicitly agree or disagree with single-cable corridors as proposed by the questioner.

How: Focusing On Technical Aspects

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Q3 Jim Shannon DUP Strangford
Northern Ireland Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

The MP is concerned about the impact of offshore wind development, both onshore and offshore, on fishermen in Northern Ireland.

Question

Any onshore and offshore wind in the Celtic sea will affect fishermen in Northern Ireland as well. Can the Secretary of State assure me that, when it comes to plans for offshore wind, the fishing organisations in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales will all have input on where it happens, so that fishing will not be affected?

Answer from David Davies

The hon. Gentleman makes a good point. Certain challenges need to be dealt with together with various other Government Departments. I have already had informal discussions about that, and will be looking to have more such discussions with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and other Government Departments.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The answerer did not provide a direct assurance regarding fishing organizations' input.

How: Referencing Future Discussions

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