Sumitomo buys into major Celtic Sea floating wind project

Aug. 10 (splash247.com) Japan’s Sumitomo Corporation has bought a 33.3% equity interest in the Gwynt Glas offshore wind farm, developed by EDF and Electricity Supply Board (ESB) in the Celtic Sea.

The acquisition marks Sumitomo’s first participation in a floating offshore wind project.

The project involves the development, construction, and operation of a floating offshore wind farm with a planned generation capacity of up to 1.5GW, located around 40 km off the coast of the UK.

The UK government has positioned offshore wind as a key large-scale power source in achieving its Net Zero 2050 target. Floating wind is expected to unlock vast wind resources in deeper waters that are not suitable for conventional fixed-bottom wind turbines.

In 2025, Sumitomo signed a comprehensive memorandum of understanding with the UK’s Department for Business, Innovation, Science, and Trade to promote business investment in the United Kingdom.

This investment represents one of the concrete initiatives being undertaken under that framework.

“We are delighted to join the Gwynt Glas project. As a large-scale floating offshore wind development, the project represents an important opportunity to contribute to the energy transition,” said Jun Minase, general manager for overseas energy solutions at Sumitomo.