The Crown Estate has launched the third round of its Supply Chain Accelerator programme, making an additional £15m available to support UK offshore wind supply chain projects.
The latest funding round will offer businesses up to 50% match funding, ranging from £250,000 to £2m, to help progress early-stage development projects linked to the offshore wind sector.
Applications are now open and will close on 3 July, with successful projects expected to be announced before the end of the year.
The third round follows two previous funding rounds that have already awarded nearly £18m to 26 organisations across the UK. Supported schemes include an operations and maintenance hub in Port Talbot and a floating offshore wind test centre in Orkney.
The funding forms part of The Crown Estate’s wider £50m Supply Chain Accelerator initiative, launched in 2024 to help accelerate and de-risk offshore wind supply chain developments across the UK.
The announcement comes amid continued expansion of the UK offshore wind market. Developers behind three floating offshore wind sites in the Celtic Sea, representing up to 4.5GW of capacity, have already secured Agreements for Lease. Meanwhile, The Crown Estate recently confirmed plans for Leasing Round 6, expected to bring around 6GW or more of additional offshore wind capacity to market from 2027.
Julia Rose, Head of Offshore Wind at The Crown Estate, said maintaining the UK’s global position in offshore wind depended on strengthening domestic supply chain capabilities.
“Maintaining the UK’s world-leading position in the offshore wind sector relies on ensuring the supply chain is able to support the large-scale construction, deployment and maintenance of offshore wind infrastructure in the pipeline.
“Our Accelerator programme, in alignment with investments from other organisations into the supply chain, is providing the financial support many early-stage projects require to help scale up from ambition to reality.”
– Julia Rose, Head of Offshore Wind at The Crown Estate.
Projects applying for funding must align with priorities identified in the Industrial Growth Plan, including port and port-related infrastructure requirements that support offshore wind deployment.
Professional services firm Grant Thornton is supporting delivery of the programme.
State-owned clean energy company Great British Energy said it would consider co-investing in projects that successfully complete development work through the Accelerator programme.
Rob Gilbert, Director of Supply Chains at Great British Energy, described the latest round as “a significant moment” for the UK offshore wind supply chain as it scales to meet growing domestic and export demand.
Energy Minister Michael Shanks said the investment would help reduce the UK’s exposure to volatile fossil fuel markets while boosting energy security and supporting jobs across the country.
He said: “By investing in British infrastructure and innovation, we can reduce that exposure, boost energy security, and ensure the benefits of clean, homegrown power are felt in communities right across the country from Blyth to Port Talbot and Orkney.”
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