New report details how the industrial-scale expansion of the sector is reshaping the services landscape across energy, construction, logistics, urban design, and environmental consulting
The UK is approaching a pivotal moment in the development of floating infrastructure, as this rapidly growing sector is attracting global investment, experiencing intensifying international competition, and causing rising pressure on the UK’s port and regulatory systems. As the sector moves beyond early-stage innovation into a multi-billion-pound asset class to meet demand, it will be a catalyst for a new wave of strategic investment and consolidation. This is according to the latest Building on water: The rise of floating infrastructure report from Heligan Group.
The floating infrastructure sector, spanning offshore energy, modular fabrication, housing, and marine logistics, is now entering a phase of large-scale industrial deployment. European floating wind capacity alone is forecast to exceed 10–15 GW by 2030, with the UK expected to deliver one third of its offshore wind power from floating platforms by 2050. According to the report, the sector represents a multi-billion-pound opportunity, underpinned by government–industry strategies that could generate £47 billion in economic value and create up to 97,000 jobs.
Andrew Dickinson, Head of Infrastructure Services at Heligan Group, said, “Floating infrastructure is no longer experimental, it is becoming central to how nations plan their future energy systems, maritime industries, and climate-resilient cities. The UK has one of the strongest development pipelines globally, but leadership relies on the ability to deliver at scale. That demands investment, integrated capability, and a coordinated national approach.”
One of the report’s central findings is the urgent requirement for industrial-grade port infrastructure. Despite leading the world in floating wind development, the UK currently has no port capable of supporting full commercial deployment. Despite this, port infrastructure is being upgraded with significant commitments – such as over £500 million at Port Talbot and £55 million at the Port of Cromarty Firth – signalling positive momentum. Heligan warns that European markets are moving quickly under the EU’s Green Deal Industrial Plan, and competition to become the manufacturing and assembly hub for floating platforms is intensifying.
Dickinson added, “The countries that will win the next decade are those that can build and launch floating infrastructure at industrial scale. Without rapid upgrades to UK ports and supply chains, projects developed in UK waters could end up being constructed and marshalled overseas. The gap is narrowing, and we cannot afford to fall behind.”
The regulatory landscape is also tightening. From 2026, the UK’s Biodiversity Net Gain policy may require major infrastructure projects to deliver at least a 10% improvement in biodiversity. Similar pressures across Western Europe are extending consenting timelines and increasing scrutiny around habitat, marine spatial planning, and environmental reporting. This shift is elevating the strategic importance of specialist marine environmental consultancies, many of which are now becoming attractive acquisition targets as developers seek to navigate increasingly complex permitting hurdles.
“Environmental compliance has become a strategic driver of delivery,” Dickinson said. “Developers must be able to demonstrate clear biodiversity outcomes and strong ecological management to secure consent. As a result, businesses with deep permitting and environmental expertise are becoming critical to the success of floating wind and hybrid infrastructure projects.”
There is also a broader transformation underway across the value chain. Floating infrastructure is bringing together industries previously operating in distinct verticals including marine engineering, modular construction, logistics, environmental consulting, and offshore operations, and creating new opportunities for consolidation and integrated delivery platforms. Hybrid systems, such as the Netherlands’ Nymphaea Aurora, are demonstrating the commercial potential of combining floating wind and solar technologies, while early prototypes for floating cities are testing future models of coastal resilience.
Heligan expects private equity-backed platforms, infrastructure funds, and strategic industrial buyers to play an increasing role in shaping the landscape, with strong demand for scalable engineering capability, fabrication capacity, and regulatory expertise. The UK is well positioned, but only if investment in ports, supply chains and permitting reform accelerates to match global momentum.
Dickinson concludes, “Floating infrastructure represents a generational opportunity for the UK. It will influence how we generate power, move goods, and design climate-resilient communities. The investors, developers and operators who act now will define the market for decades.”
