Question reference: S6W-10024
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 27 July 2022
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Current status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 23 August 2022
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many wind turbines are required to be installed and operational in Scotland, whether onshore or offshore, in order to meet its 2030 climate targets.
Answer
We need bold action to tackle the climate emergency and Scotland has some of the most extensive renewable generation capabilities in Europe with which to accelerate our just transition to net zero.
We do not believe that Scotland can achieve our 2030 decarbonisation targets without a substantial increase in onshore and offshore wind deployment.
In October 2020, Scottish Government published our Offshore Wind Policy Statement, setting out our ambitions for offshore wind in Scotland in the context of our commitment to achieve net zero by 2045. The Offshore Wind Policy Statement sets a new ambition to achieve 8-11 GW of offshore wind in Scotland by 2030. This recognises that deployment must increase significantly if we are to meet our climate change targets.
The Onshore Wind Policy Statement consultation was launched on 28 October 2021, which includes our ambition that an additional 8-12 GW of onshore wind be installed by 2030, in line with the Climate Change Committees' recommendations.
As of June 2022, there were 8.7GW of installed, operational onshore wind in Scotland, comprising approximately 3,940 turbines, and 1.86GW of installed, operational offshore wind in Scotland, comprising of 264 turbines.
Our recent ScotWind announcement includes 25GW of generating capacity of offshore wind [note: this figure was correct at July 2022], which is a massive vote of confidence in Scotland’s potential. The planning and consenting processes that lie ahead – together with the need to fully consider the views of stakeholders about impact – means it is not possible to know now exactly what scale of development will be permitted ultimately. However, we are seeking to maximise the opportunities from ScotWind, for energy, the environment, the economy and our supply chain, albeit in a way that aligns with the marine planning framework.
There are many variable factors, including advancements in turbine technology (i.e. larger turbines that produce more electricity), environmental considerations and landscape considerations, which make it difficult to determine precisely how may turbines will make up the estimated 8-12GW of onshore wind and 8 – 11GW of offshore wind required to meet our net-zero targets.