Crown Estate Scotland has delayed the launch of the ScotWind offshore wind leasing round until after the publication of Marine Scotland’s draft Sectoral Marine Plan, which is expected during the Autumn.
ScotWind had been scheduled to be launched in October, but this will now not happen, Crown Estate Scotland said.
The launch will now happen “as soon as is practical” following the publication of the draft Sectoral Marine Plan.
The delay is to “ensure that developers and stakeholders have the right information, at the right time to aid decision making”, Crown Estate Scotland said.
It added that aligning timescales with the Sectoral Marine Plan will “help to ensure maximum transparency and fairness from the beginning of the process and give all stakeholders confidence that they can take well-founded decisions”.
The deadline for applications will be after the adopted Sectoral Marine Plan is published so that developers have certainty regarding the sites in the final plan.
Crown Estate Scotland head of energy and infrastructure John Robertson said: “It’s critical that the leasing process is robust and transparent.
“The (Sectoral Marine Plan) will provide developers with certainty regarding the best locations for projects, so there are clear benefits in launching leasing after they have seen the draft version.
“In their feedback, our stakeholders have highlighted the importance of maximising certainty for developers who are awarded rights – our approach and timings are designed to ensure a confident basis for the whole of the leasing round.”