Offshore wind is relatively new to Scotland, but holds huge potential in terms of energy generation and the economic benefits presented by the supply chain.

The lion’s share of the UK’s offshore wind development has so far taken place in the shallower waters around the English and Welsh coasts, forming the bulk of the first and second rounds of The Crown Estate’s leasing process. The first examples of offshore wind developments in Scottish waters include Robin Rigg, the 180 MW project in the Solway Firth, and the offshore wind demonstrator at the Beatrice oilfield in the Moray Firth.  These two 5 MW turbines herald Scotland’s leadership in deepwater wind technology.

By 2010, around 10 GW of capacity has been earmarked for offshore wind development off Scotland’s shores, including 9 sites within 12 nautical miles of the coastline in Scottish Territorial Waters, and two large zones in the Forth and Moray firths under The Crown Estate’s Round 3. This level of development marks a huge increase in renewables capacity for Scotland, and presents massive economic and environmental opportunities over the next two decades. Scottish Renewables estimates that this industry could create around 20,000 direct jobs in Scotland by 2020, representing several billion pounds of direct investment to the economy.

At Scottish Renewables, on behalf of our members, we are working closely with the Scottish Government Renewables Policy team, Marine Scotland and other key decision makers and stakeholders to maximise offshore wind development and create a vibrant and sustainable offshore renewables industry in Scotland.