The Welsh government has given final approval for the 100MW Erebus floating offshore wind project in the Celtic Sea, enabling developers Blue Gem Wind to enter the project in the UK's contracts for difference round this year.
Blue Gem Wind – a joint venture of French energy major TotalEnergies and Irish developer Simply Blue Group alongside – plans to commission Erebus in 2026.
The pair were granted rights to build the pioneering offshore project — located 40km off the coast of Pembrokeshire, south Wales — by seabed landlord the Crown Estate in 2020.
The latest decision gives final planning permission for the project – the first floating offshore wind farm in Welsh waters – to go ahead.
It is named after the 19th century ship HMS Erebus, which was built by the royal navy in Pembroke in 1826. The ship later sank with the loss of all her crew during an Arctic expedition in 1845.
Simply Blue Group has a pipeline of around 9GW of floating offshore wind projects in the region, including the 300MW Emerald and 300MW Valorous projects also located in the Celtic Sea.
