Question reference: S6W-11113
- Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 30 September 2022
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Current status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 26 October 2022
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact on the meeting of its net zero targets of Crown Estate Scotland’s announcement that lease periods for targeted oil and gas projects will be extended to 50 years.
Answer
Offshore emissions generated as a result of the exploration for oil and gas in the North Sea are not counted as part of Scotland’s emissions inventory and instead are attributed directly to the UK emissions inventory and are not allocated to any devolved administration.
The Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas Decarbonisation (INTOG) offshore wind planning and leasing round will build on the success of ScotWind and enable new innovative and unique offshore wind projects to directly remove oil and gas production emissions from our environment and help Scotland maximise our offshore wind potential and build our offshore wind supply chain.
Lease lengths and conditions were set out by Crown Estate Scotland following engagement with the relevant sectors. INTOG projects that are successful in gaining a lease and consent will help decarbonise the oil and gas production sector, as we manage the structured transition away from the fossil fuel sector, and by supplying excess energy to the grid or converting it to other fuels will directly help meet Scotland’s own net zero commitments. A full Sustainability Appraisal for the INTOG plan will be carried out before any projects are offered Option Agreements by Crown Estate Scotland.
The Scottish Government has stated that our contribution to climate change will end, definitively, within one generation. In line with this commitment, our Programme for Government 2021/22 states that "unlimited extraction of fossil fuels is incompatible with our climate obligations and meeting the aims of the Paris Agreement"; in a post-COP26 world.