Scotland has around a quarter of Europe's potential offshore wind resources. Its strong offshore winds provide the ideal conditions for technology which can harness this powerful resource. The East coast seabed has been identified as a particularly suitable location for the development of offshore wind due to the gently shelving nature of the seabed. However, there has been an emergence of deeper water offshore technology which can help secure the sustainable development of deeper west coast waters.
The Scottish Government undertook a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) to find the most appropriate locations for placing wind energy devices in the sea, around the entire Scottish coast. More information about the Strategic Environmental Assessment process and how it links to this initial report is also available.
This Government's vision for developing offshore wind energy up to and beyond 2020 has today been launched in the two-part publication Blue Seas - Green Energy: A Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy in Scottish Territorial Waters. There are also a number of supporting documents:
This publication has been developed following a successful consultation and informed by a substantial evidence base of possible social and environmental interactions with offshore wind development.
Supporting Documents
Habitats Regulations Appraisal (HRA):
Others:
Marine Scotland Science has also prepared a sensitivity assessment of spatial modelling
Please e-mail the offshore wind consultation team or call on 0131 244 1617, if you would like further information.