Plans have been revealed for a floating wind farm off the west coast of Wales.

The Crown Estate has published details on its plans for floating wind leasing in the Celtic Sea, to the south west of Wales, off the Pembrokeshire coast.

The Crown Estate says the turbines would deliver enough new capacity to provide clean power for almost four million more homes.

The leasing process could see rights awarded by the end of 2023, with projects delivered from 2030 into the early part of the next decade.

The Crown Estate says the proposals for floating wind leasing in the Celtic Sea reflect its evolving approach to leasing offshore, which is designed to help address the strategic challenges facing renewable energy projects in our increasingly complex marine environment.

The Crown Estate will now begin the next stages of its engagement, which will take place in two phases over the winter of 2021/22.

Huub den Rooijen, managing director of marine at the Crown Estate, said: “Floating wind technology offers a powerful opportunity to open up the renewable energy resources of the Celtic Sea, helping to tackle the climate crisis with additional clean power and ignite a new industrial sector.

“We are focused on realising this potential in a way that supports the development of the regional supply chain and infrastructure, protects our marine environment, and harnesses the opportunity for local communities.

“We look forward to working closely with UK and Welsh government, regional authorities, the market and stakeholders to establish this emerging sector and reinforce the UK’s position as the world leaders in offshore wind.”

Julie James, the Welsh Government’s Minister for Climate Change, said: “The opportunity for floating offshore wind in the Celtic Sea offers substantial renewable energy to support a net zero Wales and puts us at the forefront of this fast developing industry.

“We welcome this announcement, it offers certainty for developers and helps us optimise the resources from the Celtic Sea while guarding against unacceptable impacts on the marine environment.

“We look forward to working constructively with The Crown Estate to ensure this investment delivers economic and community benefits for Wales.”