Morning, Friday, 8th May 2026
Online
This conference will examine next steps for UK offshore wind. It follows publication of the Contracts for Difference Allocation Round 7 results, with attendees looking at progress in relation to the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan’s ambitions for offshore wind capacity with the Government aiming to quadruple offshore wind capacity to 43-50 GW by 2030.
Discussion will focus on priorities for future auctions, delivery conditions and market reforms, alongside implications for industrial strategy, supply chain policy and longer-term market confidence.
Contracts for Difference
It will bring stakeholders and policymakers together to discuss what AR7 outcomes mean for AR8 and subsequent rounds in meeting Clean Power 2030 ambitions, including considerations for securing sufficient capacity alongside maintaining confidence on value for money for consumers. Attendees will assess issues and options emerging from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s consultation on proposed refinements for future rounds, including how contract and scheme design - such as contract length, strike price settings and budget parameters - might support viable projects while reducing delivery risk once awards are made.
Grid capacity & investment
Sessions will examine priorities for converting contracted capacity into delivered projects, looking at questions around grid access, connections reform and network readiness. Areas for discussion include sequencing and implementation timelines, and the impacts of curtailment and connection delays on project viability. Delegates will also consider next steps for the National Energy System Operator’s approach to queue management, offshore network planning and the Holistic Network Design, including the way forward for coordinated onshore and offshore investment to support timely delivery across different regions.
Further discussion will focus on chain capacity, workforce readiness and the role of public investment in sustaining delivery beyond the current allocation round. We expect consideration of how Great British Energy’s Supply Chain Fund: Offshore Wind and Networks, the National Wealth Fund and the Offshore Wind Industrial Growth Plan can best be deployed to address constraints on components and manufacturing bottlenecks, alongside skills development and workforce planning under the Clean Energy Jobs Plan and the Offshore Wind Industry Council’s People and Skills Plan.
Floating offshore wind
The agenda will also look ahead to the potential role of floating offshore wind as a growing part of the medium-term pipeline. Areas for discussion include development of infrastructure and port readiness, consenting considerations and the outlook for cost reduction, as well as the Government response to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ Offshore Wind Environmental Compensatory Measures Reforms consultation and how marine spatial planning and compensation requirements can be implemented with sufficient clarity and consistency for delivery.
Overview of areas for discussion
- policy: Clean Power 2030 Action Plan targets - implications of CfD Allocation Round 7 outcomes - Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s AR8 consultation next steps
- CfD: considerations relating to auction rounds - factors behind AR7 results - lessons from AR5 and AR6 for bidding - signals for competition and future pipeline
- contract design: strike price levels and indexation - implications of 20-year terms for financing - supporting delivery confidence alongside consumer value
- market confidence: impact of wider European auction outcomes - UK competitiveness for capital allocation - implications for delivery risk pricing
- grid: readiness factors - curtailment exposure and constraint costs - connection delays affecting schedules and cancellations - sequencing reforms with project milestones
- connection reform: NESO queue management and prioritisation - implementation of new connection offers and milestones - impacts on viable project portfolios
- network planning: offshore integration options under the Holistic Network Design - coordination of onshore and offshore build - regional transmission constraints
- consenting: Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project reform implications for timelines - regulatory coordination across planning and environment - managing cumulative impacts and uncertainty
- supply chain: capacity factors - Great British Energy Supply Chain Fund deployment - Offshore Wind Industrial Growth Plan delivery priorities - relieving component and network bottlenecks
- workforce: pipeline and skills - Clean Energy Workforce Strategy delivery - Technical Excellence Colleges and local pilots - transition pathways for oil and gas workers
- environmental priorities: marine spatial planning practicalities - implementing compensatory measures with clarity - monitoring, evidence, and consistency for delivery
- floating wind: port and infrastructure readiness - investment requirements and cost reduction pathway - options for accelerating development and consenting timelines
