Offshore wind
With powerful wind resources, world-leading innovation and an experienced, highly skilled workforce, Scotland offers a dynamic range of investment opportunities in offshore wind. Explore our current projects, facilities and research, and find out how we can support your business.
Did you know?
Scotland is already recognised as a global leader in offshore wind.
-
Strong and steady market
Scotland is one of the top 10 offshore wind markets worldwide.
-
50 years of expertise
Our decades in the energy industry give us huge advantages in developing renewables projects.
-
Impressive project pipeline
Scotland's total project pipeline currently includes 45 gigawatts of offshore wind power.
Scotland: a leader in renewable energy
Scotland was the first country in the world to declare a climate emergency. Now, our ambitious targets are setting the pace for other nations and creating massive opportunities for offshore wind and other renewables.
By choosing to locate in Scotland, you can be part of this net zero revolution. Join us as we aim to halt our contribution to global climate change within one generation.
Our climate targets include:
-
Carbon neutral by 2040
-
equivalent of 50% of energy supplied by renewables by 2030
-
Net zero emissions by 2045
What Scotland can offer your energy company
With abundant wind resources and high wind speeds, Scotland's offshore wind industry is enormous and ready for immediate investment.
Our supportive government and ambitious leasing rounds provide a strong and steady market in which your company can thrive.
You’ll also benefit from:
- One of the world’s most highly skilled, experienced energy workforces
- Our 50 years of expertise in the oil and gas industry and the energy transition
- Multiple supply chain opportunities
- A supportive, inclusive business environment
- Collaboration on research and innovation with world-leading academic institutions and centres of excellence
-
Opportunities in the pipeline
Scotland currently sits in the top 10 offshore wind markets worldwide, with an enormous project pipeline of more than 45 gigawatts. This includes:
- 3.4 gigawatts operational or under construction
- 6.7 gigawatts consented to or in the planning process
- 30 gigawatts of proposed ScotWind projects, including 19.3 gigawatts of floating wind
- 5.4 gigawatts allocated through Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (INTOG) leasing for exclusive development
Offshore wind opportunities
Offshore wind leasing opportunities
ScotWind is the first round of offshore wind leasing in Scottish waters for a decade – and it’s set to play a major role in our transition to a net zero future.
Get involved now to help build Scotland’s new generation of offshore wind farms, with a proposed capacity of around 30 gigawatts available across 20 new sites.
This exciting investment opportunity could see £28.8 billion invested in Scotland, based on the supply chain commitments made by developers through the leasing process.
The Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (INTOG) leasing round is the first in the world designed to support offshore wind projects that supply electricity to offshore oil and gas platforms.
A number of projects have already been offered exclusive development rights, including:
- Eight oil and gas (TOG) projects – total capacity of 5 gigawatts
- Five small-scale innovation (IN) projects – total capacity of 450 megawatts
The development rights will enable these projects to develop next generation technologies and processes – all while creating exciting new opportunities for companies like yours.
By investing in Scotland, you’ll also be strategically located to enjoy further market certainty and opportunities through the UK’s Offshore Wind Sector Deal.
This joint government-industry sector deal aims to deliver 50 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030 by running regular Contracts for Difference auctions. These auctions are the UK’s main mechanism for supporting low-carbon electricity generation.
More offshore wind opportunities
By investing in Scotland, you’ll be part of one of the largest floating offshore wind markets in the world.
Scotland is already a world-leader in the area. Here you'll find Hywind Scotland, the world’s first floating offshore wind farm, and the 48 megawatt Kincardine project, the world’s largest floating wind farm.
Now, we’re gearing up to deliver the world’s first gigawatt-scale floating projects. Fourteen ScotWind leasing sites use floating wind, for a total of 19.3 gigawatts, and INTOG projects use a further 5.4 gigawatts.
This means you’ll find huge opportunities for innovation, manufacturing, supply chain development and new port infrastructure here in Scotland.
What's more, we’re continually investing in innovation to stay ahead. Initiatives such as the Floating Wind Joint Industry Project (JIP) will aim to reduce costs in order to meet the commercial deployment challenges of floating wind. This will create research and development (R&D) opportunities for electrical systems, mooring systems, and construction and operations logistics.
By locating in Scotland, you'll become part of a thriving and established energy sector with extensive subsea experience. Here you'll find the largest concentration of offshore engineering expertise in the world outside of Houston, USA.
Several areas of the supply chain offer immediate opportunities that your company can tap into. These include:
- Export cable manufacture
- Array cable manufacture
- Large castings and forgings (including wind turbine rotor hubs, bedplates and drive shafts)
- Offshore wind turbine blades (with blade lengths greater than 100 metres)
- Offshore electrical substation topsides
- Large gauge mooring chains for floating wind
- Floating substructures
Why locate in Scotland
A strong and collaborative energy industry
Scotland offers one of the most accessible, well-connected, and collaborative energy clusters in the world. Your company can immediately benefit from our established and influential industry networks to share knowledge, research, and best practice.
Scotland’s offshore wind clusters help to connect, support and promote the sector. They can influence government, increase supply chain opportunities and boost investment in skills and infrastructure.
Forth and Tay Offshore Cluster
- Drives the growth of offshore energy on the east coast of Scotland
- Represents organisations across Scotland, including:
- Offshore wind developers
- Public sector organisations
- Further and higher education institutions
- Supply chain businesses
DeepWind Cluster
- The largest offshore wind cluster in Europe
- The lead cluster for floating offshore wind in the UK
- Represents every offshore wind asset owner in the UK
- 25 ports and harbour members, covering more than 70% of the Scottish coastline
- 32 developer members
Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council (SOWEC)
This powerful partnership between the Scottish Government and the offshore wind industry aims to create a successful, world-class offshore wind sector in Scotland. SOWEC focuses on skills, innovation, supply chain development and tackling barriers to deployment, to make the sector more sustainable, competitive and commercially attractive.
Scottish Renewables
Scottish Renewables is the voice of Scotland’s renewable energy industry, working to sustain our position at the forefront of the global energy transition and drive the growth of the sector in Scotland. You’ll be connected to Scottish Renewables’ worldwide network though frequent events, training, annual conferences and exhibitions.
Advanced port and harbour infrastructure
In Scotland, you'll have easy access to the North Sea and Europe’s offshore wind sites. Our extensive network of ports and harbours is ideal for servicing the offshore wind industry, with manufacturing, operations and maintenance facilities available.
What's more, Scotland has two ports with freeport status:
- Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport, Scottish Highlands
- Forth Green Freeport, Central Scotland
In these ports, your company can benefit from duty-free import and export of goods, tax incentives, streamlined customs procedures and increased capital allowances – plus major investment in infrastructure, skills and innovation.
Diverse and highly skilled talent
When it comes to energy skills, you’ll find the talent you need in Scotland. You’ll have access to:
- A specialist energy talent pool renowned for its renewables, engineering, offshore, subsea and manufacturing expertise
- 19 world-class universities and higher education institutions that provide a steady stream of science, technology and engineering graduates
- Academic expertise and specialisms in offshore wind systems, offshore energy transition, renewable energy engineering, sustainable engineering and advanced manufacturing
Take your offshore wind business to the next level
Whether you want to develop new products and services, tap into a new market, or make sure your workforce has the skills required for future success, Scotland has the support you need.
Discover opportunities to improve, expand and upskill in your business:
Scotland has a long, rich history in invention and manufacturing. Your company can benefit investment in infrastructure, innovation and skills initiatives.
Here are just a few flagship facilities that could help take your business to the next level:
Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland (AMIDS)
AMIDS is leading the way in collaborative innovation. Its net zero campus houses institutes of excellence, major research centres, international manufacturers, and business park infrastructure.
National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS)
NMIS enables collaboration on ground-breaking research to transform productivity levels, competitiveness and skills. It includes the Advanced Forming Research Centre and the Lightweight Manufacturing Centre.
Our centres of excellence and innovation exist to help businesses do incredible things.
Here are just some of the centres that could help you grow your business:
- Offshore Renewable Energy Catapultopens in a new window – the UK’s leading innovation centre for offshore renewable energy brings together industry and academia to enable the scale-up of innovative technologies
- ETPopens in a new window – the largest energy research partnership in Europe, with 250 academics and 600 researchers, ensures easy access to world-class capability, resources, and collaboration
- Floating Offshore Wind Centre of Excellenceopens in a new window – accelerates the development of next generation offshore wind technologies
- Net Zero Technology Centreopens in a new window – encourages change by breaking down conventional thinking to develop and deploy innovation
- European Offshore Wind Deployment Centreopens in a new window (EOWDC) – provides test and demonstration facilities for next generation technology
- Industrial Doctoral Centre in Offshore Renewable Energyopens in a new window (IDCORE) – a multidisciplinary centre that trains engineers and scientists to tackle current and future challenges in offshore renewable energy
- The National HVDC Centreopens in a new window – the UK’s only simulation and training facility supports all HVDC schemes connecting to the UK grid
- PNDCopens in a new window – enables highly realistic and accelerated technology testing alongside a rich portfolio of research programmes across the full Smart Grid domain
By locating in Scotland, you’ll also benefit from ambitious skills initiatives that will ensure your workforce has the right skills at the right time as we transition to a net zero future.
Training initiatives include:
- Green Jobs Workforce Academyopens in a new window – a key initiative to help workers transition to green jobs through reskilling and upskilling
- The Energy Skills Partnershipopens in a new window – a collaboration between Scotland’s colleges and industry partners to provide the skills required by the energy, engineering and construction sectors
- Climate Emergency Skills Action Planopens in a new window – ensures Scotland’s workforce has the skills needed for the transition to a net zero economy and the new job opportunities it will create
- The National Energy Skills Acceleratoropens in a new window (NESA) – provides access to new skills and capabilities required for delivering net zero
- Integrated People and Skills Strategyopens in a new window – a joined-up approach to people and skills across the offshore energy industry, designed to meet the commitments of the North Sea Transition Deal
You might also be interested in
-
Scotland's main opportunities for offshore wind investment
Scotland's offshore wind market is one of the world's top ten. Read about five of the biggest offshore wind investment opportunities for companies looking to get involved.
-
Renewable energy skills
Learn how Scotland is shaping its energy skills landscape to meet the challenge and opportunity, across the UK and globally.
-
Sumitomo's £350 investment in Scotland's offshore wind sector
Funding has been agreed to support a £350 million investment project from Sumitomo Electric UK Power Cables Ltd (SEUK). SEUK's new factory will supply high voltage cables to Scotland's offshore wind sector.
Got a question?
If you'd like to know more about offshore wind opportunities in Scotland, our team of advisers can help.