Massive investment in Scotland’s offshore wind

With the latest developments in Scotland’s offshore wind industry, our renewables revolution is powering ahead.

Billions will be invested in high quality green jobs and Scotland’s just transition to net zero, as 17 new offshore wind projects got the go-ahead.

Here’s all you need to know.

Potential to generate 25 gigawatts of clean, green energy

The 17 new offshore wind projects, announced as part of the ScotWind auction, have a combined potential capacity to generate up to 25GW (gigawatts) of energy.

For perspective, the current capacity of offshore wind in Scotland is almost 2GW – and another 8.4GW in construction or advanced development.

Just how much energy is it?

Scotland’s biggest existing offshore wind farm – Moray East, in the Outer Moray Firth, is Scotland’s single largest source of renewable energy, and has a capacity of 0.95GW (950 megawatts). This is enough to power about 650,000 homes.

Taken together, these new offshore wind projects approved through ScotWind, could power more than 20 times that.

A major step for Scotland’s journey to net zero

Scotland has around 25% of Europe’s entire offshore wind potential, and is fast becoming the center for renewable energy innovation – with the world’s first floating wind farm being installed in Scotland in 2017.

Weā€™ve has already made huge strides in decarbonising Scotlandā€™s energy consumption,Ā with over 95% of Scotlandā€™s gross electricity demandĀ beingĀ met by renewable sources.

This announcement marks a big step on our path to net zero, helping us reach the target of 50% overall energy consumption from renewables by 2030.

Transformational investment for the Scottish economy

In addition to the massive environmental benefits, the ScotWind auction generates around Ā£700 million that’s being delivered straight to the Scottish Government.

On top of that, these projects will generate billions of pounds worth of supply chain investment in Scotland – Ā£1 billion of investment for every 1GW of capacity.

It puts Scotland at the forefront of global offshore wind development, and will help position Scotland as a major exporter of renewable energy.

Thousands of high-quality, green jobs

The developers of the offshore wind projects committed to invest in the Scottish supply chain – which means opportunities for good, green jobs in Scotland for decades to come.

It also means that people currently working in oil and gas sector in the North East of Scotland can be confident of opportunities for their future. We’re committed to ensuring Scotland’s just transition leaves no one behind in our journey to net zero.

The big spread of projects across Scotland, off the east, north-east, northern and western coast, promises economic benefits for communities across the country.