White Cross Offshore Windfarm Limited, which is a joint venture between Cobra and Flotation Energy, has taken a significant step in the project’s development by submitting its onshore planning application to North Devon Council.

The proposed 100 MW White Cross floating offshore windfarm, located 52km off the North Devon coast will consist of 6 to 8 state-of-the-art floating wind turbines and when operational, generate enough clean electricity to power around 135,000 local homes.

The associated cable route has been selected based on extensive consultation and feedback. It’s proposed to make landfall at Saunton Sands, connecting to the electricity grid at East Yelland substation. Ensuring the efficient transfer of energy to the grid, a new onshore substation unit is also being proposed, close to the existing East Yelland substation.

The opportunity presented by the commercial scaling of floating offshore wind for the UK and specifically the Southwest is extensive and well documented. White Cross forms part of the Crown Estate’s Test and Demonstration leasing opportunity, which aims to develop and commercialise innovative, floating energy technologies within the Celtic Sea.

The project will play a key role in supporting the growth of a regional supply chain in the Southwest of England, whilst also developing new jobs and skills for local communities. Acting as a key steppingstone, the White Cross floating wind project will also support the scale-up of subsequent offshore wind developments in the Celtic Sea region and beyond.

Al Rayner Projects Director, Flotation Energy said: “White Cross will play an essential role in testing new and innovative technologies to support the burgeoning floating offshore wind industry in the UK. We have been developing this site since 2020 and this consent application is a huge milestone.

On track to start generating energy in 2027, the success of White Cross and similar projects provides significant opportunities for the UK to reap the associated economic benefits whilst also tackling climate change. It also helps secure the UK’s continued position as a world leader in offshore wind development.”

A spokesperson from Cobra said:“We are delighted to take the next step in the development of White Cross, project that aims to provide secure supply and providing sustainable energy for the UK and beyond.

Our partnership with Flotation Energy is founded on previous floating wind success, and utilising our shared knowledge and understanding will provide significant advantage as we build an efficient and high-quality pipeline of developments.”

The project supports the UK Government’s target to deliver 5 GW of energy from floating offshore wind by 2035, alongside wider decarbonisation and energy security targets. This application follows the project’s offshore consent application which was submitted to the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) earlier this year. The formal consultation process is now live for both applications. If you would like to comment on either of the applications, you should do so formally via the appropriate authority’s application portal. Comments on the onshore application should be made to North Devon Council and comments on the offshore application should be made to the MMO.