Request
The original intention for the ScotWind leasing round was to announce 10GW of capacity. However, on 17th January 2022, the first results of the leasing round were announced, and amounted to 25GW.
There was obviously a process involving the Crown Estate Scotland and the Scottish Government which resulted in the originally anticipated 10GW becoming the 25GW announced on 17th January 2022.
What I’m asking for is the complete paper trail which explains how that change occurred. Who made the decision for the change to occur? How, and why, was the decision made? I’m looking for all relevant correspondence, both internal and involving the Scottish Government, and all notes/minutes of relevant meetings.
Response
The Scottish Government’s Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy (SMP) sets a spatial limit rather than a cap on energy generation. Up to 8,600 km² of seabed within designated areas can be offered for Option Agreements through ScotWind. This approach was a leasing decision made by Crown Estate Scotland, which the Scottish Government then set out in the draft SMP and final SMP.
ScotWind limits the amount of seabed that can be leased but does not restrict capacity, as this can change as projects develop. The SMP explains this approach, stating:
-
"Making an area of up to 8,600 km² of seabed available for Option Agreements via the first cycle of ScotWind leasing could, therefore, support the development of projects capable of delivering up to 10 GW of total generating capacity."
-
"It is acknowledged that as technology matures, facilitating more efficient use of the seabed, over the life of the Plan, the average deployment density may increase, and the same physical footprint may be capable of delivering more than 10 GW in the future."
-
“A recent review of the density of offshore wind turbine layouts of recent European offshore wind projects indicated average deployment densities of between 4-6.5 MW/ km2, and, therefore, an average deployment density of 5 MW/ km2 was used in the assessment.”
This is taken from the 2020 Sectoral marine plan for offshore wind energy - gov.scot but is also stated in the 2019 Draft SMP section 3. Impact Assessments: Offshore wind energy: draft sectoral marine plan - gov.scot
Currently, 20 ScotWind projects have seabed option agreements. The first 17 projects were announced in April 2022, followed by three more in October 2022. These applications demonstrated the potential generation capacity the companies estimated they could achieve within the seabed limits set by the option agreements. It was demonstrated that more capacity could be achieved within the same area than was initially assumed in the plan and the average deployment density that was used in the assessment had been surpassed. A breakdown of proposed capacity per company is available here: Offshore wind: sector profile May 2024
Since no changes have been made to the seabed leasing limits set by Crown Estate Scotland as set out in the 2020 SMP, Crown Estate Scotland does not hold any “correspondence, internal discussions, or meeting notes” on this issue. As no further decisions have been made on capacity or spatial limits, a "not held notice” is attached to this response.
For more information:
-
Past disclosure on ScotWind capacity: 196 - ScotWind GW | Crown Estate Scotland
-
Information about ScotWind on our website: ScotWind leasing round | Crown Estate Scotland
