The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
New leasing round will energise wind sector
SEABED: Industry asked to help shape framework for new wind energy schemes
A proposed new offshore wind farm leasing round will provide Scotland with “substantial” new opportunites.
Crown Estate Scotland, which manages the leasing of the seabed, yesterday published a discussion document aimed at ensuring a long-term future for the offshore wind sector in Scotland.
The paper outlines the draft process for a new leasing round and calls for feedback from industry to help shape the final framework.
John Robertson, senior energy and infrastructure manager at Crown Estate Scotland, said the country had significant green energy resources.
“Using our seas to power Scotland is an important part of our economic and environmental wellbeing,” he said.
“To provide affordable, secure and clean energy, Scotland must continue to sustainably use its natural resources and grow the offshore wind sector.”
There is currently 211MW of operational offshore wind in Scotland through the Robin Rigg array and the Hywind Scotland development which features world-first floating turbines.
Two more – the SSE-led Beatrice and the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre (EOWDC) – with a collective output of 680MW are in construction while a further 4,400MW of offshore wind projects are either shovel-ready or in planning.
They include the multi-billion NNG, Inch Cape and Seagreen arrays planned for the outer firths of Tay and Forth.
New projects – which are likely to take five to 10 years to develop – will be sited in areas identified in Marine Scotland’s forthcoming offshore wind marine plan.
Andrew Jamieson, chief executive of ORE Catapult, which operates the offshore wind industry test site at Levenmouth, welcomed the move.
“Scotland’s waters are already home to innovative offshore wind demonstrator projects such as Hywind, the EOWDC and our own Levenmouth demonstration turbine,” he said.
“A new leasing round opens up the potential for Scotland’s economy to capitalise on the substantial opportunity for its innovative businesses to share in the supply chain opportunities presented by these new developments, and deliver further economic growth and job creation for Scotland.”
Utility giant SSE took to Twitter, describing the move a “positive step for the future of offshore wind in Scotland.”
Scottish Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham said: “The potential benefits of offshore renewable energy to Scotland are enormous. That is why it is important that Crown Estate Scotland makes available the right seabed locations at the right time, in order to contribute to delivery of our energy strategy, attract inward investment, develop new technology and continue to drive down the associated costs of offshore energy.”