en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Crown Estate has announced the launch of the third round of its Offshore Wind Supply Chain Accelerator programme, committing an additional £15 million (approximately US$20.3 million) in early-stage development funding to support UK offshore wind supply chain businesses and projects.

Established in 2024 with an initial funding pool of £50 million, the Accelerator has now entered its third and final funding round. The first two rounds have already distributed nearly £18 million to 26 organisations across the UK, with previously funded projects including an operations and maintenance centre in Port Talbot and a floating offshore wind testing centre in the Orkney Islands.

The new round of applications is open from today until 3 July, welcoming projects from across the UK. Businesses can apply for up to 50% match funding, with amounts ranging from £250,000 to £2 million, to support early-stage project development.

This launch comes amid continued growth in the UK offshore wind sector. Developers have signed lease agreements for 4.5 GW of floating offshore wind capacity in the Celtic Sea. The Crown Estate also plans to launch its sixth leasing round in 2027, expected to offer over 6 GW of capacity, and is underpinned by the Marine Delivery Routemap to provide long-term certainty for investment and onshore benefits.

Julia Ross, Offshore Wind Director at The Crown Estate, said: "The Accelerator programme works in synergy with supply chain investments from other organisations, providing funding for numerous early-stage projects and helping them move from concept to reality."

The Accelerator focuses on UK supply chain projects that align with the Industrial Growth Plan or support port and offshore wind-related infrastructure. Selected projects will be announced before the end of the year.

Great British Energy will consider co-investing with The Crown Estate in projects that align with its £1 billion "British-Made Energy" plan.

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