SNC Lavalin : Atkins and The Crown Estate open new digital hub for contributors seeking to...

The Offshore Wind Evidence & Knowledge Hub (OWEKH), a new digital knowledge hub that aims to transform the information landscape of the offshore wind sector, has today called for interested parties to register notice in becoming part of its Community of Practice.

Funded by The Crown Estate through the Offshore Wind Evidence & Change Programme, and run by Atkins, OWEKH will help to realise the ambition of 50GW of offshore wind by 2030 by enabling easy access to information to accelerate and streamline the consenting process. Later this year, the launch of the digital portal will enable developers, regulators, marine specialists, and other professionals working in offshore wind to access and interact with key data and documentation to inform rapid, high-quality consenting around offshore wind development. This includes past impact assessments, industry knowledge, large scale datasets and academic references.

The project is now inviting organisations and individuals to be help support and shape the development of this important new initiative by signing up to become part of the Community of Practice and Technical Topic Groups. By doing so, they can lend their expertise in curating and interpreting the data and evidence collected within the knowledge hub. Participants will be able to keep up to date with the latest industry advances, input their own expertise and link up with subject matter experts in key concerns.

Any parties involved in the offshore wind consenting process are invited to participate; from consultants, specialised sub-contractors and developers to regulatory and other stakeholders, including marine professionals and fisheries planners.

Sion Roberts, Marine Consents Manager at The Crown Estate and Project Manager for OWEKH, said: "The need to transition from fossil fuels and strengthen energy security is greater than ever. As managers of the seabed, The Crown Estate recognises that accelerating our journey to net zero requires collaboration across stakeholder groups working in offshore wind. Today's announcement marks an important step on the way to achieving this. By consolidating expertise between many projects and stakeholders across the sector, OWEKH will significantly shorten the consenting process and accelerate the expansion of offshore wind generation."

Chris Mcdougall, Project Director for OWEKH at Atkins, said: "The current consenting process often requires developers to start 'from scratch' in knowledge gathering. This can be expensive and lengthy. OWEKH will facilitate a valuable knowledge transfer, for instance, providing data on cetacean movements that may have already been captured, or a piece of best practice on analysis methodology. It is the Community of Practice and Working Groups that will guide publication of these crucial pieces of information and build on them to provide cohesive guidance for the industry. We are encouraging any offshore wind consent experts with knowledge to share to get involved."

Since the initiative launched in August 2022, an in-depth requirement gathering phase has taken place with industry stakeholders, facilitated by Atkins, which is leading on stakeholder engagement and development of the digital platform. Workshops and individual engagement with subject matter experts have informed a gap analysis to advise the design and build of the sector-wide open portal. Feedback will continue to be integrated from the OWEKH steering group.

This will align with the wider stream of work on digital data and evidence that the Crown Estate is undertaking, as it continues to grow its Marine Data Exchange (www.marinedataexchange.co.uk), the world's largest database of offshore renewables survey data, research and evidence.

Individuals or organisations wishing to register their interest on becoming part of OWEKH's Community of Practice and Technical Topic Groups are invited to contact the OWEKH development team at Atkins via email [e-mail] or sign-up via the microsite at: https://register-owekh-interest.azurewebsites.net/home.

Notes to editors:

The Offshore Wind Evidence & Knowledge Hub is being delivered by The Crown Estate's Offshore Wind Evidence and Change Programme and driven by steering group members; Defra, the Offshore Wind Industry Council Pathways to Growth (OWIC P2G) and the Institute for Environment Management and Assessment (IEMA).

The Crown Estate has an ongoing commitment to working with a wide range of partners and experts to co-ordinate seabed activity, and building data and evidence to inform how it can sustain a wide variety of industries and marine life for the long term. Besides OWEKH, other key workstreams being pursued include:

• Pioneering work to digitally map the seabed resource needed to meet future demand, enabling the delivery of multiple priorities including net zero and nature recovery, as well as the enhanced co-ordination of future activities out to 2050.
• The Crown Estate's formation of the Offshore Wind Evidence and Change programme - including £50million of investment by The Crown Estate - convening government bodies, the industry and key stakeholders from across the UK to gather and harness the data and evidence to propel forward the growth of UK offshore wind at pace, while maintaining clean, healthy, productive and biologically diverse seas
• Continuing to grow the Marine Data Exchange, the world's leading database of offshore renewables survey data, research and evidence. And developing increasingly sophisticated spatial planning tools
• Collaborating with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero on the Offshore Transmission Network Review (OTNR) to ensure a more coordinated approach for transmission connections for offshore wind generation
• Collaborating on the cross-Government Marine Spatial Prioritisation Programme, which addresses the management of all activities in English waters
• Collaborating with the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) and Crown Estate Scotland to explore and understand market requirements for future CCUS development and to share data
• Working with all marine planning authorities and seabed managers in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales on UK-wide challenges such as nature recovery
• Leading the Offshore Wind and CCUS Co-location Forum, which brings together partners including the NSTA, the Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA), RenewableUK, Government and Crown Estate Scotland to provide strategic coordination of co-location research and activity and help maximise the potential of the seabed for offshore wind and CCUS
• Investing in a multi-million pound series of technical and environmental surveys around potential locations for new floating wind farms in the Celtic Sea to accelerate the delivery of projects
• Contributing to the Floating Offshore Wind Task Force alongside RenewableUK, industry leaders, senior Government officials and other key stakeholders to ensure that the UK stays at the forefront of this cutting-edge offshore wind technology, creating thousands of new jobs and attracting billions in private investment.

About the Offshore Wind Evidence and Change Programme

The Offshore Wind Evidence and Change Programme is a unique £50 million initiative that enables the gathering of data and evidence to support the sustainable development of offshore wind in the UK. Funded by The Crown Estate, it brings together a 27-member steering group, spanning government, industry and non-profit organisations to collaborate in collating and sharing information that will help speed up the consenting process, protect wildlife and fishing, while promoting greater biodiversity across the UK. By collaborating to address issues and share knowledge, the programme delivers positive outcomes for coastal communities and marine wildlife.

The Programme is led by The Crown Estate in partnership with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It is being delivered in collaboration with a number of organisations that share an interest in planning for the future of offshore wind.

The programme focuses on four overarching themes, identified through collaboration with stakeholders, which are:

• Enhancing biodiversity through a comprehensive evidence base
• Optimising use of a busy seabed and supporting co-location
• Enabling faster and more sustainable solutions through knowledge-sharing
• Facing up to challenges collaboratively

For further information about the Offshore Wind Evidence and Change programme, and the projects being delivered, visit https://www.thecrownestate.co.uk/OWEC/ or email [e-mail]

About The Crown Estate

The Crown Estate is a significant national landowner with a diverse £16bn portfolio that includes urban centres and development opportunities; one of the largest rural holdings in the country; Regent Street and St James's in London's West End; and Windsor Great Park. We also manage the seabed and much of the coastline around England, Wales and Northern Ireland, playing a major role in the UK's world leading offshore wind sector.

We are a unique business established by an Act of Parliament, tasked with growing the value of the portfolio for the nation and returning all of our net profit to HM Treasury for the benefit of UK taxpayers. This has totalled £3bn over the last ten years.

Through our activities and investments, The Crown Estate creates environmental, social and financial value both for now and into the long term. This includes:

• Playing a significant role in unlocking renewable energy for millions of homes through sectors such as offshore wind and creating opportunities for new technologies like CCUS and hydrogen to deliver the UK's energy security transition, resulting in thousands of jobs for communities across the UK.
• Supporting the sustainable transformation of land use in the UK through diversified, regenerative agricultural and environmental best practice alongside a thriving natural world.
• Becoming recognised as a centre of excellence for environmental and ecological best practice across the Windsor Estate.
• Identifying and creating opportunities for thriving and resilient communities across the country to support regeneration, housing and innovation.
• Ensuring London retains its global city status, by fostering a more vibrant, greener and inclusive destination for millions of visitors and businesses.

For further information please contact The Crown Estate press office: www.thecrownestate.co.uk / 0845 241 2342