Awel y Môr: Plans for a new wind farm off North Wales given green light

In a major development for renewable energy in North Wales, Claire Coutinho, the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, has today approved plans for RWE’s Awel y Môr Offshore Wind Farm.

This endorsement recognises the project as Wales’ most substantial renewable energy investment of the decade.

Positioned adjacent to the already functioning 576 MW Gwynt y Môr Offshore Wind Farm, the Awel y Môr initiative promises not just clean energy, but also to create hundreds of skilled jobs.

These will span both the construction phase and operational life of the wind farm, benefiting the local community and the broader supply chain.

The development is being led by RWE, the UK’s leading power producer, which also operates north Wales’ other offshore wind farms, Gwynt y Môr, North Hoyle and Rhyl Flats.

Awel y Môr is planned to be operational before 2030 with a maximum of 50 turbines at a maximum height of 332 meters .

It will become Wales’ largest renewable energy project.

The awarding of the Development Consent Order by the Secretary of State is the culmination of more than five years work.

The team is now awaiting the granting of the necessary marine licence from Natural Resources Wales, in order to progress the project into construction.

RWE is developing Awel y Môr, in a Joint Venture with partners Stadtwerke München (30 per cent) and Siemens Financial Services, the financing arm of Siemens (10 per cent).

Tamsyn Rowe, RWE Project Lead for Awel y Môr, said: “With the Development Consent Order for Awel y Môr now in place, we have achieved a major milestone on our journey towards delivering an offshore wind farm capable of powering more than half a million homes with clean, renewable energy.”

“We hope to secure our marine licence in the coming months, plus carry out offshore site investigations on the seabed as we begin to finalise plans for construction.”

“To that end, I would also encourage any company with an interest in potentially joining the supply chain for Awel y Môr to sign up to RWE’s Supplier Transparency Engagement Programme.”

RWE is working on plans to prepare the local supply chain so that the immediate region as well as the wider UK can potentially reap the benefits of the multi-billion investment which the project represents.

In addition to Awel y Môr, RWE is also supporting Grŵp Llandrillo Menai in the development of its new £11.2m Rhyl Campus, which will house our UK wind turbine technician apprenticeship scheme.

Danielle Lane, RWE’s Director of Development for UK and Ireland, added: “Set alongside the UK’s first commercial scale offshore wind farm at North Hoyle, which RWE continues to operate, Awel y Môr is firmly at the heart of our plans for renewable energy generation.”

“However, to make this happen, Government will need to ensure a suitable CfD auction that is fit for purpose and capable of unlocking the fantastic clean energy and investment opportunities that Awel y Mor and our broader offshore wind portfolio represent for the UK’s supply chain and its ambitions to expand offshore wind, decarbonize the energy system and achieve net zero.”

“As the largest power generator in the UK, we have ambitions  to invest up to £15bn in new clean energy projects and infrastructure by 2030, with north Wales set to continue in its key role.”