Offshore wind energy - draft updated sectoral marine plan 2025: consultation analysis report
Key findings from the consultation on the draft updated Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy (SMP-OWE), which ran from 30 May to 22 August 2025.
Footnotes
1 Scottish Government (2025). Draft Updated Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy [online] Available at: Draft Updated Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy – gov.scot (accessed 20/08/2025)
2 Offshore Wind Scotland (2025). Scottish offshore wind farms and project pipeline [online] Available at: Scottish offshore wind projects | Offshore Wind Scotland (accessed 26/08/2025)
3 Scottish Government (2020). Sectoral marine plan for offshore wind energy [online] Available at: Sectoral marine plan for offshore wind energy - gov.scot (accessed 01/08/2025)
4 Scottish Government (2020). Draft Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy 2019: consultation analysis report [online] Available at: Draft Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy 2019: consultation analysis report - gov.scot (accessed 01/08/2025)
5 The draft updated Plan proposes that the updated plan no longer be subjected to further iterative plan review. Instead, it proposes that any future inclusion of additional commercial-scale leasing for offshore wind be subject to a new and distinct sectoral marine planning process based on a robust analysis of future environmental and socio-economic potential. Question 9 of the consultation specifically seeks views on this proposal.
6 Scottish Government (2022). Initial Plan Framework Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind for Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (INTOG) [online] Available at: Initial Plan Framework Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind for Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (INTOG) – gov.scot (accessed 20/08/2025)
7 Scottish Government (2025). Draft Updated Sectoral Marine Plan: Sustainability Appraisal [online] Available at: Draft Updated Sectoral Marine Plan: Sustainability Appraisal - gov.scot (accessed 20/08/2025)
8 Scottish Government (2025). Draft Updated Sectoral Marine Plan: Strategic Environmental Assessment [online] Available at: Draft Updated Sectoral Marine Plan: Strategic Environmental Assessment - gov.scot (accessed 20/08/2025)
9 Scottish Government (2025). Draft Updated Sectoral Marine Plan: Social and Economic Impact Assessment [online] Available at: Draft Updated Sectoral Marine Plan: Social and Economic Impact Assessment - gov.scot (accessed 20/08/2025)
10 Scottish Government (2025). Draft Updated Sectoral Marine Plan: Habitat Regulations Appraisal: Appropriate Assessment Information Report [online] Available at: Draft Updated Sectoral Marine Plan: Habitat Regulations Appraisal: Appropriate Assessment Information Report - gov.scot (accessed 20/08/2025)
11 Scottish Government (2025). Draft Updated Sectoral Marine Plan: Nature Conservation Marine Protected Area Assessment [online] Available at: Draft Updated Sectoral Marine Plan: Nature Conservation Marine Protected Area Assessment - gov.scot (accessed 20/08/2025)
12 Scottish Government (2025). Draft Updated Sectoral Marine Plan: Partial Business Regulatory and Impact Assessment [online] Available at: Draft Updated Sectoral Marine Plan: Partial Business Regulatory and Impact Assessment - gov.scot (accessed 20/08/2025)
13 Scottish Government (2025). Draft Updated Sectoral Marine Plan: Partial Islands Communities Impact Assessment [online] Available at: Draft Updated Sectoral Marine Plan: Partial Islands Communities Impact Assessment - gov.scot (accessed 20/08/2025)
14 Scottish Government (2025). Draft Updated Sectoral Marine Plan: Regional Locational Guidance [online] Available at: Draft Updated Sectoral Marine Plan: Regional Locational Guidance - gov.scot (accessed 20/08/2025)
15 Scottish Government (2025). Draft Updated Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy [online] Available at: Draft Updated Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy (accessed 26/08/2025)
16 Scottish Government (2025). Draft Updated Sectoral Marine Plan Statement of Public Participation [online] Available at: Draft Updated Sectoral Marine Plan Statement of Public Participation - gov.scot (accessed 20/08/2025)
17 Scottish Government. (2024). Participation handbook [online] Available at: Participation handbook: National Standards for Community Engagement (accessed 29/09/2025)
18 Scottish Government. (2022). Consultations in the Scottish Government: guidance [online] Available at: Consultations in the Scottish Government: guidance (accessed 29/09/2025)
19 Scottish Government (2025). Consultation: Draft Updated Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy [online] Available at: Draft Updated Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy - Scottish Government consultations - Citizen Space (accessed 01/08/2025)
20 Office for National Statistics (2019). Data Science for the Public Good: Automating Consultation Analysis [online]. Available at: Automating consultation analysis | Data Science Campus (accessed 25/08/2025).
21 Scottish Government (2025) Offshore wind policy statement [online] Available at: Offshore wind policy statement 2020 update: consultation (accessed 29/09/2025).