Realising Our Offshore Wind Ambition

This last year has been a challenging one for the offshore wind sector, though both the UK and Scottish Governments have identified that offshore wind will play a critical role in reducing climate change emissions while also delivering security of energy supply.
After the energy shock caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the UK Government uplifted the offshore ambition to 50GW of installed capacity by 2030. The Scottish Government, alongside Crown Estate Scotland, undertook further leasing rounds called ScotWind, and Innovation and Targeted Oil & Gas (INTOG). These collectively provided further leasing opportunities in excess of 30GW.

The Government's contract for difference (CfD) auction, however, set a strike price that no offshore developer was prepared to bid into, which in itself will have delayed deployment. It is anticipated that the auction round opening up in May this year will be far more positive. It is important for the UK Government to maximise