Crown Estate Scotland today opened the first of a series of leasing rounds for offshore wind projects that will seek to award up to 10 GW of capacity.
The so-called ScotWind Leasing round is expected to bring more than GBP 8 billion (USD 10.2bn/EUR 9bn) of investments in the offshore wind sector and help the country achieve its goal of being net-zero by 2045. If deployed, the tendered capacity could provide “more than enough” green electricity to power every Scottish household, Crown Estate Scotland said.
The seabed landlord invited interested investors and developers to register their interest by obtaining “option agreements” that could lead to the signing of leases in one of the designated areas. The specific areas that will be deemed suitable for offshore wind development will be presented in the Scottish government’s Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy. The plan is due to be released “shortly.”
Developers will be required to submit a supply chain development statement in their applications in order to outline their intentions on using the supply chain. Information on the geographical location of supply chain activity in the selected area will also need to be presented.
“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,” said Energy Minister Paul Wheelhouse.