LONDON, June 19 (Reuters) - Equinor ( EQNR ) and Gwynt

Glas have won seabed leases to build floating wind farms in the

Celtic Sea off the coast of Wales and South West England, the

Crown Estate said on Thursday.

The Crown Estate, which acts as manager of the seabed around

England, Wales and Northern Ireland, said Equinor ( EQNR ) and Gwynt Glas

had won leases giving them the rights each to build 1.5 gigawatt

(GW) projects. Gwynt Glas is a joint venture between EDF

Renewables UK and Irish energy company ESB.

Britain, which is aiming to largely decarbonise its

electricity sector by 2030 to cut its reliance on fossil fuels,

is seeking to increase offshore wind capacity to 43-50 GW by the

end of the decade, from around 16 GW.

"Floating offshore wind will be transformative for economic

growth in Wales and the South West, unlocking thousands of jobs

in places like Port Talbot and Bristol, bolstering our energy

security and delivering industrial renewal," Britain's Energy

Secretary Ed Miliband said.

The companies will pay 350 pounds ($468.55) per megawatt per

year for the leases for a ten-year option period, meaning both

groups will pay 525,000 pounds per year for the sites, excluding

VAT.

Floating wind projects can be installed in deeper waters

than fixed-bottom foundations, harnessing stronger and more

continuous wind to generate more power.

"With the areas' deeper waters, we believe there is future

potential for floating wind to play a role in unlocking the UK's

journey towards net zero," Melissa Read, Equinor's ( EQNR ) Head of

Regional Development UK said in a separate statement.

The projects will now go through the consenting process,

which can take three to five years and could become fully

operational in the early 2030s.

A total of 4.5 GW of leases were available and the Crown

Estate said details of the remaining 1.5 GW of leases would be

given shortly.

Wind power, both on and offshore, was Britain's largest

source of electricity last year providing around 30% of the

country's power.

The Crown Estate is an independently run, commercial

business, whose profits go to the Treasury but are also used as

the benchmark for the level of public funding for the Royal

Family.

($1 = 0.7470 pounds)