Offshore wind energy - draft updated Sectoral Marine Plan 2025: consultation

Purpose, Aims and Objectives of the draft updated SMP-OWE

The purpose of the draft updated Plan is to enable the sustainable development of offshore wind energy in Scottish waters, by balancing economic, social and environmental objectives through a systems-led assessment process that engages a range of stakeholders and is underpinned by evidence.

The aims of the draft updated Plan are to:

1. Provide a strategic spatial framework for offshore wind development in Scottish waters by bringing together into one plan:

a. The ScotWind Option Areas that were awarded lease options in 2022 based on the SMP-OWE (2020);

b. The INTOG Option and Exclusivity Agreement Areas that were awarded exclusivity agreements based on the INTOG IPF in 2023; and

c. The potential development of up to 1 GW of generating capacity from offshore wind T&D sites.

2. Assess the potential national and regional level opportunities and constraints resulting from potential development with a generating capacity of up to 37.4 GW, providing greater clarity to industry, investors, consumers and the public.

a. Including potential in-combination and cumulative impacts of the proposed development with existing and planned offshore developments and other marine policies, on the environment, economy, marine users and on local communities;

3. Strategically consider the impacts of storage, construction and maintenance of devices (commonly referred to as ‘wet storage’);

4. Consider the in-combination impacts from the development of arrays with the outcomes of NESO’s network design process;

5. Support economic and investment opportunities of offshore wind and the competitive local supply chain opportunities in Scotland to support energy security, economic development, improved infrastructure, skills and jobs across Scotland and increase investor confidence in the sustainability of Scottish projects; and

6. Support efficient and streamlined consenting and licensing decision-making for offshore wind development in Scotland.

We will achieve these aims by:

1. Considering all relevant scientific information and other evidence that has become available since the publication of the SMP-OWE (2020) and up to September 2024 including the most up-to-date technical information from projects to inform updated planning assumptions;

2. Bringing the best available evidence together to present the estimated impact and potential mitigation of the draft updated Plan on other marine users, economic sectors, the environment and on local communities, through an inclusive process of engagement with those stakeholders;

3. Enabling and supporting the delivery of any strategic compensation that may be required if the HRA derogations process is applied to the updated Plan following a negative AA, in accordance with the relevant legal obligations set out in the Habitats Regulations; and

4. Supporting the improvement of the evidence base for planning and consenting for offshore wind by identifying evidence gaps and requirements for future research.

The core objectives of the draft updated Plan are as follows:

1. To maximise the delivery of low carbon electricity from offshore wind farms in Scottish waters in support of the Scottish Government’s target to cut greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2045 and to do so by maximising the delivery of Crown Estate Scotland’s ScotWind and INTOG leasing rounds between now and 2035;

2. To support the export of electricity to the electricity grid to help realise Scottish commitments for offshore wind and security of electricity supply;

3. To support innovative offshore wind technologies including the deployment of small-scale and short-term T&D projects to reduce technological barriers across the industry;

4. To facilitate offshore wind developments to deliver the decarbonisation of oil and gas infrastructure operations in Scottish waters; and

5. To optimise generation and export capacity within the constraints of available Scottish sites and onshore and offshore transmission infrastructure.