Offshore wind developers Flotation Energy and Cobra have been granted full onshore and offshore planning approval for their floating offshore wind project in the Celtic Sea.

The developers applied in 2023 to develop and connect to the grid a 100MW floating offshore wind farm named White Cross to North Devon Council and the Marine Management Organisation.

The proposed wind farm, located 52 km off the Devon coast, will consist of six to eight floating wind turbines and will generate enough clean electricity to power around 135,000 households.

“The UK is already a leader in floating offshore wind technology, but until now this has only been via projects in Scottish waters. This decision gives us a valuable opportunity to harness this pioneering technology to help deliver the energy transition in the southwest of England,” said White Cross senior project manager Sam Park.

The project’s offshore export cables will make landfall at Saunton Sands beach before connecting to the onshore export cables. The onshore cables will be completely buried underground for their entire length and will travel approximately 8 km to a new White Cross onshore substation, which will accommodate the connection to the existing East Yelland substation.

White Cross is a stepping stone project that is pivotal to the Crown Estate’s ambitions to scale up and commercialise floating energy technologies in the Celtic Sea.