Scenario mapping for offshore renewable energy development economic benefits: case studies

1. Preface

Note on publication

This project was commissioned by Marine Scotland in 2019 and aimed to identify, measure and value the delivered and potential economic impact for Scotland from offshore wind and tidal energy projects. The report is now being published as part of the evidence base to support the development of new Socio- Economic Impact Assessment Guidance for Offshore Renewable Energy that Marine Scotland has developed (to be published shortly).

Some important aspects of the report are now out of date, including the status of the projects being analysed, and the capability of the offshore wind supply chain in Scotland.

The original intention was to use a case study approach with actual data to assess the economic impact of four existing renewable energy projects. The project faced a number of challenges in terms of acquiring data due to GDPR and commercial confidentiality requirements. As a consequence the analysis undertaken was based on modelled data, using qualitative data from developers and public sources. The results of the modelling therefore represent an estimate of actual and potential economic impact.

The methodology consists of the development of case studies for “as-is” and “what-if” economic impacts scenarios based on the existing supply chain in Scotland at the time of writing and provides an estimated and maximum Scottish content.

Although this methodology is unique to this report, it follows some of the same principles as those used in the forthcoming SEIA guidance. For example, the SEIA guidance asks for the assessment of economic impacts to be presented at the local, regional, Scottish and UK level.

The report also illustrates the types and scale of expected economic impact as well as the potential areas for increased value added in Scotland, which will be helpful for socio-economic impact assessment and will assist future supply chain and Scottish content work.

While every effort has been made to make this publication accessible to all, some sections may remain inaccessible due to the nature of the content. If you are unable to access any content you require, please contact ScotMER@gov.scot

June 2022