Marine Recovery Fund

Emma Hardy Excerpts

Wednesday 17th December 2025 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Emma Hardy)]

I am pleased to confirm that the marine recovery fund, one of the major reforms in the clean power action plan, has launched today.

This underlines the Government’s clear commitment to making Britain a clean energy superpower to cut bills, create jobs and deliver energy security. We are delivering cheaper, zero-carbon electricity. A key part of this mission is accelerating the deployment of the UK’s offshore wind capacity. The launch of the fund will unblock 19 GW in the immediate term, showcasing the support it can provide for future projects. Britain’s seas play host to extraordinary, diverse and precious ecosystems. We will accelerate offshore wind while protecting our marine environment, delivering on our domestic and international commitments to do so.

The MRF is a voluntary fund into which offshore wind developers can pay to deliver environmental compensation for their project’s unavoidable impacts on our marine protected areas. Clean energy is essential but so is ensuring nature’s recovery—both are needed to conserve our environment for future generations. Any unavoidable impacts from offshore wind on our MPAs must be compensated for appropriately.

The MRF is established by the Secretary of State under section 292 of the Energy Act 2023, and in accordance with the Marine Recovery Funds Regulations 2025 (SI 2025, No. 1230). The MRF operator will use the funds from developers to deliver strategic compensatory measures that can be delivered across multiple offshore wind projects and/or at scale. This represents an important shift from the current system, in which compensatory measures are assessed on a project-by-project basis.

Identifying suitable measures in the marine environment can be challenging due to limited evidence and the dynamic nature of marine ecosystems. Our intention is that the MRF will enable greater benefits for nature. Pooling contributions from developers and delivering compensation strategically and at greater scale has the potential to achieve significantly better outcomes for seabirds, marine wildlife and habitats. The fund will support the extension and designation of new MPAs to protect our seabed and could address factors impacting our wildlife, such as controlling rats to support seabirds and creating offshore artificial nests for kittiwakes. This co-ordinated approach will, therefore, help accelerate the consenting process for offshore wind projects, while providing high quality, ecologically meaningful compensation for our protected areas.

The MRF will deliver value for money and wider fiscal benefits. For developers, it will increase certainty around securing compensation through pre-approved measures, expediting decision making and reducing lengthy case-by-case negotiations. It will also discharge their liability at the point of payment into the fund through a transparent price. The MRF will be cost neutral to Government. The fund’s effectiveness will be regularly assessed including through a non-statutory review by 2032.

The MRF will operate in England and Wales. The Scottish Government will be managing their own fund to reflect their specific priorities and circumstances. We are committed to working together to help us achieve our shared goals. This collaborative approach will maintain alignment where appropriate, while respecting the distinct responsibilities and decision-making powers of each Government.

This marks a key step forward in the Government’s ambition to make Britain a clean energy superpower, unblocking offshore wind projects in the consenting pipeline and supporting future projects in our journey to net zero.

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