Published on 25th September 2021
Crown Estate Scotland, the custodian of the country's sovereign real estate, has made available approximately 8,600 square kilometers of seabed, with a total capacity of 10 gigawatts (GW) earmarked for development in the country's first offshore wind auction in a decade.
On 16th July, applications for the lease round closed, and oil companies such as BP, Shell, TotalEnergies, Equinor, and Eni, as well as renewable energy specialists like Orsted and Vattenfall, have all confirmed their involvement.
Scotland is seeking to shift its offshore energy business, which has traditionally been connected with North Sea oil and gas production, to a low-carbon model in order to achieve net-zero emissions by 2045.
Colin Palmer, director of marine for Crown Estate Scotland, said, "We really appreciate and acknowledge all the time, effort, and investment that has gone into each and every application to ScotWind Leasing."
"We know there is a lot of interest in Scotland's ability to host major offshore wind projects, and our engagement with the industry throughout ScotWind's development has shown that."
Crown Estate Scotland will now review the bids, with successful applications expected to be notified in early 2022.
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