Chamber and committees

We intend to commence consultation on both the draft Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy (“the draft Sectoral Marine Plan”) and the draft Offshore Wind Policy Statement later today, in line with the commitment we set out in the Programme for Government.

Both consultations will run for a period of 14 weeks, from today until 25 March 2020.

The public and stakeholders will be able to access all related documentation and provide comments via the Scottish Government consultation hub (Citizen Space) here:

• Draft Sectoral Marine Plan - https://consult.gov.scot/marine-scotland/draft-sectoral-marine-plan-for-offshore-wind/
• Offshore Wind Policy Statement - https://consult.gov.scot/energy-and-climate-change-directorate/draft-offshore-wind-policy-statement/

Once adopted, the Sectoral Marine Plan will provide the spatial framework for future seabed leasing for commercial-scale offshore wind in Scottish Waters. Scotland has an excellent reputation for offshore wind expertise and is recognised as having one of the best wind regimes anywhere in the World in which to deploy projects. The draft Sectoral Marine Plan identifies 17 draft Plan Options, including sites suitable for the deployment of floating and fixed technologies, capable of generating up to 10 GW of electricity, in this plan alone. The publication of the draft Sectoral Marine Plan will enable Crown Estate Scotland to launch its first cycle of seabed leasing, named ScotWind, in the near future.

The Scottish Government are seeking views on the draft Plan Options identified and the conclusions of the supporting Sustainability Appraisal over the coming weeks. We encourage all parties to engage with the consultation process to help inform the final plan.

In addition, the Scottish Government is launching a consultation on the draft Offshore Wind Policy Statement (“OWPS”). The draft OWPS sets out our ambitions for the future of offshore wind in Scotland, in the context of our recent net zero by 2045 commitment. It will outline the huge potential for this technology, particularly floating offshore wind, out to 2045 and assess the significant economic opportunity of future commercial scale deployment.

The Scottish Government is seeking views on the draft OWPS over the coming weeks to help better understand the role of offshore wind in meeting our net zero by 2045 commitment, and to inform our final policy position on other aspects of future offshore wind development in Scotland.

A series of public events will be held across Scotland in early 2020 to raise awareness of and facilitate consultation on the draft Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy and further information can be found at the website listed above.