Offshore Wind
The Highlands and Islands has an amazing offshore wind resource and the world-class skills and facilities required to operate in a sometimes hostile deep-water environment.
Offshore wind opportunities
We are determined to ensure that businesses across the north and west of Scotland are in the best position possible to capitalise on the offshore wind opportunities as they emerge. We are working hard to support a supply chain able to serve every phase of a project’s life – from project identification and Environmental Impact Assessments through to consenting, construction, operations and maintenance.
Working towards Scotland's net zero targets, our focus and investment is set to increase further, with offshore wind being acknowledged as a critical component of meeting these targets and especially in Scotland, where the target is to be achieved in advance of the rest of the UK.
The Offshore Wind Sector Deal, approved in March 2019, commits to deploying 30GW of offshore wind by 2030 and 50GW by 2050. It further secures offshore wind’s position within the future energy mix and provides clarity on the route to market for this particular technology. With ScotWind leasing and growing interest from an increasing number of developers in the fixed and floating market, the opportunity for both the domestic and export market is significant.
The pace at which fixed bottom offshore wind has accelerated over past years is testament to the level of innovation and efficiency which has been invested. Floating wind is also now expected to accelerate cost reduction and establish a route to market by the mid to late 2020s. The future leasing rounds lend themselves to significant levels of floating wind deployment around the Highlands and Islands coastline which in turn brings another level of opportunity, both through the capital and operations and maintenance stages of project development.
These are exciting times for the offshore wind industry in Scotland and we are in a terrific position to capitalise on these natural assets and build a thriving offshore wind industry and supply chain for the decades to come.
Visit our Offshore Wind Scotland website for up to date information and opportunities.
DeepWind - North of Scotland Offshore Wind Cluster
We are leading a partnership of industry, academia and the public sector with the aim of developing and delivering a new offshore wind supply chain cluster in the north of Scotland. The cluster is centred on the offshore wind farms in the Moray Firth and those on the Aberdeenshire coast however, the membership is not limited by geography. By adopting a hub and spoke approach the cluster will cover a much wider area taking in sites in Shetland, Orkney, the Outer Hebrides, Kishorn, Caithness and as far south as Machrihanish in Argyll and Hunterston in Ayrshire.
Membership of the cluster is open to all Scottish based companies. DeepWind is one of eight clusters formed under the Offshore Wind Sector Deal which, itself, is part of the UK’s Industrial Strategy.
DeepWind will focus on deep water fixed bottom offshore wind technologies and will also act as the lead cluster for floating offshore wind in the UK. The Cluster aims to raise the productivity and competitiveness of its member companies, both domestically and internationally, become a hub of innovation and collaboration while helping set the skills agenda based on the sectors future requirements out to 2030. In doing so it will work closely with its sister cluster, Forth and Tay Offshore, with the ultimate aim of raising UK content in future wind farm projects to 60%, a target under the sector deal.
The DeepWind steering group members, including ourselves, Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Government, takes in five major developers currently active in Scotland; EDP Renewables, SSE, Vattenfall, Cobra and Equinor. There are also representatives of the supply chain such as Global Energy Group, CS Wind, Port of Cromarty Firth, Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group and Seaway7. Other public sector entities including Highland, Moray, Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City Councils with academic partners University of the Highlands and Islands and the Institute of Design at Glasgow School of Art.
Companies interested in joining the Deep Wind Cluster can register on the Offshore Wind Scotland website.
Energy in the Highlands and Islands
Explore the energy industry in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.
Investment in energy
More and more businesses in the energy sector are looking to invest in our region