Falmouth Secures Shared Prosperity Funding.

Falmouth Docks & Engineering Company, operated by A&P Group, secured an award of £973,292 from the Shared Prosperity Fund to undertake an environmental impact assessment (EIA) to inform potential redevelopment to support the production of cleaner, affordable and secure energy from floating offshore wind in the Celtic Sea.

The EIA will inform how potential modernisation of the dock infrastructure at the historic Cornish port could enable Cornwall to be at the forefront of the growth of this emerging high value, clean growth sector. It will also explore options for the managed expansion of Cornwall's year-round cruise tourism offer.

Assessments include a range of socio-economic and environmental studies and surveys to support marine licensing requirements, such as benthic surveys to identify any potentially sensitive habitats or species that may be impacted by marine development, and hydrodynamic modelling which will explore water movement. It is anticipated that the potential redevelopment of the site will underpin significant employment opportunities, if the results of this assessment are positive and the subsequent projects goes ahead.

Previous economic analysis has forecast that the proposed developments could lead to at least 2,000 jobs over the next 10 years, and bring benefits for local assembly, maintenance and operations facilities.

Mike Spicer, Managing Director A&P Falmouth, said: “Falmouth Port is a statutory harbour authority operated by Falmouth Docks and Engineering Company (FDEC).

“As such, A&P is committed to modernising the existing infrastructure to ensure the port can meet the changing demands which are placed upon it, which includes supporting the growth of floating offshore wind and growing cruise activity in Cornwall.

“Any plans to modernise the existing facilities will be dependent on the environmental impact of the proposed developments. The full Environmental Impact Assessment will consider these impacts and will determine the feasibility of any future plans for development.”

Louis Gardner, Cornwall Council cabinet portfolio holder for economy, said: “Developing the floating offshore wind sector is a huge opportunity for Cornwall. It has the potential to bring significant benefits including boosting the economy, creating well paid jobs and contributing to Cornwall Council’s Net Zero and Energy Transition initiatives.

“I’m pleased to see that this funding is giving A&P the opportunity to take a proactive approach to understanding the potential environmental impact of this new infrastructure proposal.”