Five offshore areas off Cornwall and Wales have been designated as possible floating wind farms.
The Crown Estate, which is responsible for renting UK seabed space for renewable energy projects, has mapped out potential offshore areas to deploy the technology, which it says is “the next frontier of green growth”.
And floating turbines can be placed in deeper water to capture higher winds than those that can withstand offshore wind farms.
The sites in the Celtic Sea are rich in natural resources, especially wind, and if development continues, they would be open to tender next year and house the first generation of commercial-scale floating wind farms.
As part of a push toward green energy production, the five areas would have the potential to provide four gigawatts of energy by 2035, enough to run nearly four million homes.
Image: Five offshore areas off Cornwall and Wales have been assigned as possible floating wind farms
And the Crown Estate believes that post-Celtic sea development could generate 20 more gigawatts by 2045.
The researchers say they considered the impact on fishing, the environment and shipping routes.
Huown den Rooijen of Crown Estate said: “The Celtic Sea has the potential to become one of the world’s largest renewable energy basins, providing economic growth and abundant clean energy.
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“This round of leasing is a first step and we must work together to reduce the costs of technology, provide environmentally sound solutions and respect the needs of many other users of marine space.”
Greg Hands, Minister of Energy and Climate Change, said: “We already have the largest offshore wind deployment in Europe. Floating technology is key to unleashing the full potential of our coast.”
He added: “These projects can help feed millions of homes with cleaner and cheaper renewable energy, reducing dependence on expensive fossil fuels.”
The plan will now face an independent review and researchers will examine the areas in detail, refining the areas and whether three “test and demonstration” sites should be carried out.