Offshore wind leasing round kicks off in Scotland

Crown Estate Scotland has announced the launch of the first offshore wind leasing round in Scotland for a decade.

The organisation, which is responsible for managing seabed rights in the nation’s waters, said the ScotWind leasing round could unlock as much as £8 billion of investment in clean energy.

“Today is a huge step forward in kick-starting Scotland’s green recovery, meeting net zero targets and bringing multi-billion-pound investments to benefit communities across the nation,” said John Robertson, head of energy and infrastructure at Crown Estate Scotland.

“Offshore wind is currently one of the cheapest forms of new electricity generation and Scotland is perfectly poised to host major new projects, with a well-established energy skills sector as well as some of the best natural marine resources in Europe.”

Scottish energy minister Paul Wheelhouse said: “The launch of ScotWind – the first offshore wind leasing round to be administered in Scotland – is a very important milestone for Crown Estate Scotland and Scottish Ministers, but also marks another pivotal moment for the development of our offshore wind sector and also presents an opportunity to help develop our strategic economic response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“As we emerge from the crisis, we have a chance to re-imagine the Scotland around us, and to begin building a greener, fairer and more equal society and economy, one in which wellbeing, fair work and social justice are prioritised.

Rebecca Williams, head of policy and regulation at Renewable UK, said:  This technology will do the heavy lifting which will enable Scotland and the UK to meet their net zero emissions targets faster. ScotWind will provide new opportunities to pioneer floating offshore projects, a technology which has huge potential in the UK and around the world.”