A new report highlighting the potential benefits of offshore wind energy in Scotland has been published by the Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI).
Along with the advantages for local supply chain companies and communities across the country, the report also identifies the key drivers, including increased support from the Scottish Government, needed to maximise the opportunities presented by generating energy from wind off Scottish coasts.
The result of discussions between offshore wind energy companies, community experts, academics and policy makers at a recent SCDI event sponsored by Falck Renewables and BlueFloat Energy, the report sets out their views on the practicalities of ensuring Scotland’s businesses and communities fully reap the benefits of offshore wind.
Sara Thiam, chief executive of SCDI, said: “Scotland has a unique opportunity to create high value jobs and manufacturing, which will breathe new life into our economy over the next 30 years and enable us to export our knowledge and products throughout the world. All the right ingredients are there – world class research and graduates, existing expertise in energy and natural resources which can be harnessed for the benefit of all.”
Richard Dibley, managing director of Falck Renewables Wind Ltd, said: “With the Scottish Government’s target of generating 11 gigawatts, equivalent to enough energy to power eight million homes, from offshore wind energy by 2030, the upcoming leasing round for seabed sites represents an excellent opportunity to ensure that the whole of Scotland benefits.
“Our experience of developing onshore wind farms across the country has demonstrated that supporting local communities has a tremendous effect, far beyond just providing financial funding, which can empower people and contribute to a real regeneration of both rural and urban areas.”
Carlos Martin, CEO of BlueFloat Energy, said: “We look forward to leveraging our unique expertise in floating offshore wind to deliver large-scale projects off the Scottish coast. The ScotWind round offers an exceptional opportunity to kick-start local industrial development around the enormous potential of floating wind. We intend to work closely with the Scottish supply chain to integrate local strengths into the design of new projects.”
The report “Harnessing Value for Scotland from Offshore Wind Development” is available at
https://www.scdi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/SCDI-Falck-BlueFloat-Report.pdf
