Minister for Energy and the Environment Gillian Martin has called for immediate UK Government action to make the transformative potential of offshore wind a reality.
She said significant reinforcement and expansion of the power grid is needed, using reserved powers to connect offshore wind projects including ScotWind – with the potential to power many millions more homes.
Ahead of a speech at one of the UK’s largest offshore wind conferences in London today, the minister also called for new powers to modernise the planning and consenting system for grid infrastructure to be devolved to the Scottish Parliament.
Martin will meet a range of industry figures at Renewable UK’s Global Offshore Wind 2023, including outgoing UK Offshore Wind Champion Tim Pick, whose independent report made a series of key recommendations to the UK Government to accelerate delivery of offshore wind energy.
“Scotland finds itself at the forefront of a renewable energy revolution. ScotWind, as the world’s largest commercial leasing round for floating offshore wind, has set the benchmark for industrial-scale deployment - we need to be ready to capitalise on that and take forward the greatest economic opportunity of recent times,“ stated Martin.
“There is more that Ofgem, the National Grid electricity system operator and the UK Government can do.
“High transmission charges remain a key barrier to net zero in Scotland and a new approach is needed.
“Reform of the connections process is urgently required to allow projects to join when they’re ready to do so,“ she continued. “And the UK Government needs to provide the right powers to the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government that will enable us to modernise the planning and consenting system for grid infrastructure.”
Separately, six Scottish islands have taken a significant step towards a low carbon future by publishing their Community Climate Action Plans, developed as part of the Carbon Neutral Islands (CNI) project.
Each island community has developed its own plan, compiling existing knowledge and data, and setting out the actions they will take to help them achieve a sustainable future.
The project is supporting six Scottish islands - Great Cumbrae, Barra, Hoy, Islay, Raasay and Yell - to become carbon neutral by 2040.
Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands Secretary Mairi Gougeon attended an event to launch the plans in Millport, Great Cumbrae.
“Supporting these islands in their journey towards net zero will not only benefit the environment, but will energise local economies and improve the general wellbeing of islanders,“ she said.
“The knowledge gained throughout this journey will be shared to help support all of Scotland’s island communities, and indeed mainland communities, as they seek to forge a future that is both climate-friendly and sustainable.
“It will also extend beyond Scotland, as internationalisation is a key pillar of the Carbon Neutral Islands work.”
Scott J Watson, community development officer for Cumbrae said: “These action plans represent the dedication and collaboration of our island communities and a commitment to tangible, meaningful action that will transform the way we live, work and sustain our islands.
“As we work towards the 2040 goals, the project is about more than the urgent need to reduce our carbon footprint, but also creating resilient, vibrant island communities that will thrive for future generations.”
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