Scottish seabed up for lease for offshore wind investment

Crown Estate Scotland, manager of Scotland’s seabed, has announced the launch of the first round of offshore wind leasing in Scottish waters for a decade. 

The first round, called ScotWind Leasing, will enable companies to apply to build Scotland’s next generation of offshore wind farms.

It is estimated that the ScotWind project could deliver more than enough electricity to power every Scottish household, saving over 6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.

From today (June 10), investors and developers will be able to register their interest in obtaining an ‘option agreement’ with Crown Estate Scotland. This can then lead to leases to build offshore wind farms in one of the areas of seabed that are available to be obtained.

It is hoped that this multi-billion pound investment opportunity will form a major part of Scotland’s green recovery.

John Robertson, Crown Estate Scotland’s head of energy and infrastructure said: ‘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.

‘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.’

Scotland’s Energy Minister, Paul Wheelhouse, said: ‘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.

‘Our seas are host to some of the best offshore wind resources in the world, supporting the continuing growth and expansion of the sector.

‘We want to harness this huge resource for our energy system, unlocking significant investment in the supply chain to create more green jobs across the sector and, importantly, to do so in a way that gives due regard to our marine environment and other marine activities.’

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