Overview
- The auction secured 8.4GW of offshore wind capacity, enough to generate electricity equivalent to powering more than 12 million homes.
- Fixed-bottom projects cleared at an average £90.91/MWh in 2024 prices (£91.20 in England and Wales, £89.49 in Scotland), which the government says is about 40% cheaper than building and operating new gas using its LCOE metric of £147/MWh.
- The average price is higher than last year’s awards, with Sky News reporting an 11% rise, intensifying debate over long-term consumer exposure under the CfD scheme’s 20-year terms.
- Winning projects span England, Scotland and Wales, including Berwick Bank, Dogger Bank South, Norfolk Vanguard and Awel y Môr, plus floating schemes Erebus and Pentland backed by Great British Energy and the National Wealth Fund.
- Ministers say the results unlock around £22bn in private investment and support about 7,000 jobs, while experts caution that financing, supply chain pressures and grid connections make bringing the full 8.4GW online by 2030 highly challenging, with conservationists also flagging seabird risks at Berwick Bank.