Supporting the net zero transition

Through the growth of offshore wind energy and supporting carbon-reduction technologies, we’re helping the UK meet its renewable energy and climate goals.

As custodians of the seabed and a significant portfolio of land, we are uniquely placed to support the national journey to net zero through offshore wind, carbon capture and storage, and nature-based solutions.

Renewable energy

We have been at the forefront of the offshore wind sector since 2000 delivering significant financial value for the nation, as well as supporting the government to meet its commitment to reach net zero by 2050. Our current operational capacity across our seabed holdings is 11.8GW, the equivalent to delivering the annual electricity needs for almost 11 million homes and 14% of the UK’s total electricity requirements. Click here to read about the work we are doing to accelerate the deployment of future offshore wind potential.

We continue to support new carbon-reduction technologies including a tidal stream test and demonstration project off the coast of Anglesey, which could have applications for the whole tidal industry, as well as emerging innovations such as green hydrogen markets.

Carbon sequestration

Carbon sequestration can help achieve net zero emissions, whether through nature-based solutions such as restoring and creating woodlands and peatlands, or through carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies.

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is an evolving technology which can substantially reduce CO2 emissions from the global economy at an industrial scale. We are responsible for granting leases for offshore rights for developers for CO2 storage, and are working to bring CCS opportunities to the market. In October 2023 we awarded an Agreement for Lease (AfL) for the ‘Endurance’ project, which could become one of the world’s largest CCS projects and make a significant contribution towards the UK government’s ambitions to capture and store 20-30 metric tonnes of CO2 per year by 2030.

We are working to assess the carbon sequestration potential of our land and beginning to act on this through initiatives such as hedge and tree planting, as well as scoping projects to restore carbon-rich habitats such as saltmarsh and peatland. We’re also developing our understanding of sedimentary carbon, sometimes called blue carbon, on the seabed – particularly how it may be impacted by our leasing activities - and where there are opportunities to enhance carbon sequestration and restore marine habitats.

Sustainable development of the seabed

As demands on the seabed increase, it’s important to develop ways to safeguard nature, reduce environmental risks, enhance coastal communities, and foster sustainable economic growth. The need for collaboration on this is greater than ever. Through our Offshore Wind Evidence and Change programme (OWEC), we’re bringing together a variety of organisations with diverse skills and interests to deliver the sustainable development of the seabed in the UK. Read more about OWEC here.

Innovating for net zero carbon homes

In a bid to support the provision of sustainable housing in the UK, we are piloting projects to test different ways to build net zero homes. By using best-practice sustainable design and construction to minimise operational and embodied carbon, the projects in Bedfordshire and Cheshire will explore how new homes can be built more sustainably.We will take the lessons learnt from these projects and share them with the wider sector to help raise industry standards and collectively work at scale to meet the challenge of decarbonising real estate.