Scottish Renewables announced the launch of Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council (SOWEC) on 29 October – an industry-public partnership that is will aim to deliver at least 8GW of offshore wind in Scottish waters by 2030.
SOWEC will also aim to:
- develop a plan for offshore wind’s contribution to achieving Scotland’s target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045
- create a competitive, commercially attractive offshore wind sector in Scotland, with a focus on project development, deeper water capability and innovative technology solutions
- work to develop a sustainable supply chain in Scotland for the sector, and
- boost the number of offshore wind jobs in Scotland to more than 6,000 – an increase of 75% on 2019 figures.
Minister for Energy, Connectivity and the Islands, Paul Wheelhouse said: “the Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council has been created to ensure that all those involved are pulling together to deliver on bold plans to create a competitive, commercially-attractive offshore wind sector in Scotland which can deliver both domestically and in the global offshore wind market, with opportunities to develop a globally-competitive supply chain for fixed foundation and floating wind technologies.”