Greenpeace Complains to ICO Over Crown Estate's Offshore Wind Cost Practices
Greenpeace UK has lodged a complaint with the ICO, alleging the Crown Estate is illegally withholding financial information related to offshore wind activities, thus impacting costs for developers and consumers. The complaint follows accusations of profiteering from monopoly control of the UK seabed, high leasing fees, and significant pay increases for the CEO. The Crown Estate maintains that it does not set option fees and that revenues are returned to the Treasury.
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Greenpeace UK has filed a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office, alleging the Crown Estate is unlawfully withholding information about its profits from offshore wind activities in violation of the Crown Estate Act 1961. Greenpeace claims the Crown Estate's high leasing fees for developers lead to increased costs for energy consumers.
The Crown Estate, however, contends that it does not set option fees, which are determined by developers through competitive auctions. The Offshore Wind Leasing Round 4 concluded in January 2023, with six projects totaling 8GW capacity selected. The UK aims for operational wind capacity to reach 43-50GW by 2030 as part of its Clean Power 2030 initiative.
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