Today has seen the Crown Estate Scotland announce the outcome of its application process for ScotWind Leasing; this represents the first Scottish offshore wind leasing round in over a decade and the first ever since the management of offshore wind rights were devolved to Scotland in 1999.  

With the recent Cop26 event in Glasgow, and indeed the Malin Spotlight Series forming our own offering within it – both highlighted the unprecedented opportunity that Scotland has to transform its energy market, progressing to a net zero economy.  

Today’s announcement includes a series of highlights, notably:

• 17 projects have been selected out of a total of 74 applications, and have now been offered option agreements which reserve the rights to specific areas of seabed   
• A total of just under £700m will be paid by the successful applicants in option fees and passed to the Scottish Government for public spending 
• The area of seabed covered by the 17 projects is just over 7,000km2 (a maximum of 8,600km2 was made available through the Scottish Government’s Sectoral Marine Plan) 
• Initial indications suggest a multi-billion pound supply chain investment in Scotland
• The potential power generated will provide for the expanding electrification of the Scottish economy as we move to net zero.

Simon Hodge, Chief Executive of Crown Estate Scotland, said: “Today’s results are a fantastic vote of confidence in Scotland’s ability to transform our energy sector.  Just a couple of months after hosting COP26, we’ve now taken a major step towards powering our future economy with renewable electricity.  

“In addition to the environmental benefits, this also represents a major investment in the Scottish economy, with around £700m being delivered straight into the public finances and billions of pounds worth of supply chain commitments. The variety and scale of the projects that will progress onto the next stages shows both the remarkable progress of the offshore wind sector, and a clear sign that Scotland is set to be a major hub for the further development of this technology in the years to come.” 

Chris Dunn, Principal Naval Architect for the Malin Group noted: ” Today’s news represents a momentous day for the maritime industry in Scotland, representing a declaration of real ambition, as well as opportunity for this and the next generation to innovative and drive forward change. Our Malin Spotlight Series, working with a range of respected partners, highlighted the potential of offshore wind, and it is fantastic to see such a large proportion of today’s announcement targeting floating wind solutions.“