SSE Renewables welcomed the Scottish Government’s decision to revise its offshore wind target up to 11GW by 2030 from 8GW.
The enhanced end-of-decade goal will help ensure Scotland plays its full part in meeting the UK’s overall target of delivering 40GW of offshore wind energy by 2030, SSE Renewables said.
The company has also welcomed confirmation that there will be a second offshore wind energy leasing round for new seabed opportunities in Scottish waters in 2022/23.
SSE Renewables managing director Jim Smith (pictured) said: “As the leading developer and operator of offshore wind energy in Scotland and the UK, we welcome the new increased target set by the Scottish Government to deliver 11GW of offshore wind by 2030, along with confirmation that there will be an additional seabed leasing round for new offshore wind energy sites in Scottish waters in 2022/23.
“Our market-leading pipeline of new Scottish offshore wind farms, including our 1.1GW Seagreen project currently in construction in the Firth of Forth, means we are uniquely placed to play a vital role in delivering this increased ambition.”
Smith said his company also appreciated the Scottish Government’s recognition that 11GW is a challenging target and the barriers to deployment which would prevent it being met.
“These include overcoming challenges to enable timely grid connections, ensure we have a skilled workforce, develop a smooth and predictable planning process, and create a sustainable long-term market design for investment,” Smith said.
Smith said SSE Renewables is committed to working closely with both the Scottish and UK Governments and the wider offshore wind energy industry to “play our part in doing what is necessary to remove these outstanding barriers, and we urge everyone to pull together to achieve our common goal”.
He said: “I’m confident that as we do so we will drive forward the push to meet Scotland’s new 11GW target and the UK’s overarching 40GW target by 2030, and deliver a green recovery with offshore wind energy at its core.”