en.Wedoany.com Reported - On August 7, the Welsh Government disclosed that it has granted a Section 36 consent under the Electricity Act 1989 to the Llŷr 1 floating offshore wind project, approving the construction and operation of an offshore generating facility with a planned capacity of approximately 100 megawatts, with the associated onshore transmission works also deemed to have received planning permission. The project is developed by Cierco Energy and is currently in the pre-construction phase.

Project application documents show that Llŷr 1 plans to deploy up to 10 floating wind turbines, with a maximum blade tip height of 325.5 meters, secured to the seabed using catenary or taut mooring systems. The offshore array area covers approximately 45 square kilometers, and the project will include approximately 55 kilometers of offshore export cables, approximately 7.1 kilometers of onshore underground transmission cables, and one onshore substation, with the generated electricity connected to the UK national transmission grid.

The Section 36 consent covers the construction and operation of the offshore generating facility. Activities such as anchoring and subsea cable laying on the seabed will also require a marine license. The UK's natural resources management body issued Marine License No. ORML2465 to Llŷr Floating Wind Limited in June this year, providing the licensing basis for the project's offshore works.

The full Llŷr development portfolio consists of two demonstration wind farms, Llŷr 1 and Llŷr 2, each with a planned capacity of 100 megawatts, totaling 200 megawatts, and each will separately test different floating wind technologies. This Section 36 consent application corresponds to Llŷr 1; the lease agreement signed by Cierco Energy with The Crown Estate on July 30 covers both the Llŷr 1 and Llŷr 2 sites.

The public consultation for the project's marine license commenced on November 27, 2024, and the submission period for comments on the Section 36 consent ended on March 28, 2025. Following the marine license obtained in June and the seabed rights for both sites secured in July, Llŷr 1 has now completed the approval for the construction and operation of its generating facility. The developer has set a target for first power generation in 2031, and the Welsh Government expects the construction phase to create approximately 2,000 jobs.