Positive
Project advancing - milestone achieved
High Impact
Major milestone or critical setback
The Aspen Floating Offshore Wind Farm, developed by Cerulean Winds in the UK’s Central North Sea, is targeting full commercial operation at its intended 1 GW capacity by 2030. The official Aspen project page notes a Phase 1 Commercial Operation Date in 2029, indicating that initial generation units are planned to enter commercial service first, with subsequent phases completing the build‑out.[1] The main project overview further explains that the 1 GW Aspen Project is in an advanced development phase and is planned to “build out to 1GW by 2030,” which establishes 2030 as the target year for the project to reach full capacity and continuous commercial operation.[2] A Marine Licence supporting document reinforces this timeframe by giving a “Planned commission – 2029/30,” aligning commissioning and commercial operations within the 2029–2030 window.[3] To support this COD, Aspen is scheduled for offshore construction starting around 2027/28, with an anticipated four‑year offshore construction phase and continuous 24/7 operations when conditions allow.[3] Grid connection is planned “as early as 2028” to the UK onshore network at the Fetteresso substation in Aberdeenshire, designated by the National Energy System Operator as the preferred connection point.[2] Once fully operational by 2030, the floating wind farm is intended to supply renewable electricity directly to oil and gas platforms in the Central North Sea, exporting any surplus to the national grid and enabling substantial industrial decarbonisation.[1][2][3]