Offshore wind

The Scottish Government aims to generate 50% of Scotland's overall energy consumption from renewable sources by 2030, and has set an ambitious target of net zero emissions by 2045. Offshore wind generation has a key role in delivering against these targets.

Crown Estate Scotland plays a critical role in the development of offshore wind. In June 2020 we launched ScotWind Leasing, the first round of seabed leasing for offshore wind in Scottish waters in over a decade (find out more here).

There are currently five major offshore wind farms in Scottish waters, generating significant amounts of clean green electricity and creating over 3,000 jobs. ScotWind will kickstart Scotland’s green recovery, meeting net zero targets and bringing multi-billion pound investments to benefit communities across the nation.

As well as awarding and managing leases we support developers through pre-planning and consenting to construction, and work with industry to tackle environmental and technical issues, reduce costs and build investor confidence.

Our 2020-2023 Corporate Plan outlines a range of activity around offshore wind including:

• Enabling access to seabed for new offshore wind development, supporting project pipeline and supply chain development
• Helping Scotland attract offshore wind inward investment and realise socio-economic benefits through: 
    - Providing leasing for a pipeline of projects and appropriately structured agreements (Scotwind Leasing);
    - Investing resource and expertise (e.g. contribution to SOWEC (Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council); and
    - Supporting delivery of Scotland’s Offshore Wind Sector Deal aspirations

Find out more:

• Contact marine@crownestatescotland.com
• Maps and downloads