The Crown Estate announces a further £7.3 million investment in research projects to accelerate the UK’s transition to net zero

The Crown Estate is partnering with a range of expert bodies across the UK to launch five new projects that will support with accelerating the nation’s path towards a net-zero and energy-secure future, whilst enabling our marine and coastal ecosystems to thrive. 

These initiatives, backed by a £7.3 million investment through the Offshore Wind Evidence and Change Programme (OWEC), are led by the Offshore Wind Industry Council, Scottish Government Marine Directorate, Historic England, the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult with support from numerous public, private and charitable organisations.  

The projects will aim to fill critical evidence gaps around the impacts of offshore wind farms on marine ecosystems, advance solutions to reduce those impacts, enhance access to marine data and explore the opportunity for co-location of fisheries and offshore wind farms. 

Subject to contracts, the projects are part of The Crown Estate’s £50 million investment in the OWEC programme, delivered in partnership with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and Defra. Through a mix of targeted studies, research projects, and comprehensive evidence-gathering, the programme aims to accelerate the deployment of offshore wind while supporting nature restoration. By building a robust evidence base, OWEC is helping to speed up the consenting process, enhance biodiversity, and provide a better understanding of the spatial needs of seabed user groups. 

The five projects are:  

1. Disco Scallops 

Scientists found that scallops love ‘disco’ lights. They were successful in developing a new low-impact fishing technique that led to a 500% increase in scallop catch, and want to roll this out at a regional scale. This project will provide the evidence base to demonstrate that static fishing methods can be used in areas where mobile methods might be restricted – like in offshore wind farms and marine protected areas.   

Led by the Offshore Wind Industry Council. 

2. ECOCHANGE 

Ecosystem Consequences of Changes to Habitats and implications for a Net Gain Energy approach. 

Building new offshore wind farms creates changes in biodiversity – both in new sealife communities that attach to the infrastructure and in the sandy, soft-bottom habitats around developments. This project aims to determine how much these changes influence the wider ecosystem and our marine food webs. 

Led by Scottish Government Marine Directorate. 

3. MDE Heritage Accelerator 

This project will improve access to marine heritage data which is gathered when offshore wind farms are developed to enable faster, informed decision making by regulators, developers and their advisors.  

By integrating data from the Marine Data Exchange (MDE), into Historic England’s National Marine Heritage Record, the project aims to enhance planning and strengthen how heritage is represented.   

Led by Historic England. 

4. Piloting of Offshore Wind Environmental Mitigation  

This collaborative project between Government and the offshore wind industry will pilot two proposed innovative mitigation measures that could further reduce the impact of offshore wind farms on the marine environment. The Piloting of Offshore Wind Environmental Mitigation (POWEM) project will consist of two pilots: 

• turbine blade painting to reduce bird collisions, and   

• an offshore wind piling noise limit to reduce the impact of construction noise on marine species.  

Led by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in collaboration with the offshore wind industry. 

5. S3 (Subsea Soundscape) 

This project will pioneer a new regional framework in the Celtic Sea to provide valuable insights into existing underwater noise conditions and marine mammal presence – understanding these baseline conditions will support with future environmental assessments for new floating offshore wind in the region.  

Led by Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult.