Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind for Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas Decarbonisation (INTOG) | Marine Scotland

1 The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring secure, reliable and affordable energy supplies within the context of long-term decarbonisation of energy generation. Continued growth of the renewable energy sector in Scotland is an essential feature of the future clean energy system and a potential key driver of economic growth.

1.2 The Scottish Government has set a range of targets and ambitions to cut greenhouse gas emissions and to generate more energy from renewable sources. The Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Act 2019 commits the Scottish Government to reach net zero emissions of all greenhouse gases by 2045. It also sets out interim targets of to cut emissions by 75% by 2030 and 90% by 2040, against the 1990 baseline. Additionally, The Scottish Government has set a target to generate 50% of Scotland's overall energy consumption from renewable sources by 2030.

1.3 Around Scotland, there exists the potential to extract significant energy resources in the form of renewable offshore wind energy generation. Any expansion of offshore wind energy generation in Scottish waters requires the application of marine spatial planning, at a national, regional and local scale, to identify areas that may be suitable for the development of offshore wind projects.

1.4 Offshore wind is a large scale technology with the potential to play a pivotal role in Scotland’s energy system over the coming decades. The development of technologies such as floating wind, which offer scope for development in deeper water, have significant potential to contribute offshore wind energy supply at affordable prices. Floating technology is particularly well suited to the deeper water abundant around Scotland and in the vicinity of oil and gas infrastructure.

1.5 The UK Government’s Industrial Strategy rightly points to the achievements of the offshore wind industry, and the potential that it represents. The Offshore Wind Sector Deal (2019) celebrated these achievement and set numerous targets for the sector including an aim to generate 30 GW by 2030. This has since been increased to 40 GW by 2030. Our own Offshore Wind Policy Statement confirms the Scottish Government’s intent to see offshore wind play a key role in decarbonisation and our net zero commitment and suggests as much as 11 GW could be delivered by 2030 in Scottish waters alone.