ORE Catapult report about offshore wind energy: EIR release

Information requested

Page 78 of the Scottish Government’s Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy includes this statement:

'Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult (“ORE Catapult”) are currently engaged in an examination of these grid infrastructure and connectivity issues and possible solutions, including the use of novel technologies and approaches. The results of this study will inform the iterative plan review process and any future revisions to the Plan and will be considered in any future assessments (as appropriate).'

Please provide the report prepared for the Scottish Government by ORE Catapult.

As the information you have requested is 'environmental information' for the purposes of the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs), we are required to deal with your request under those Regulations. We are applying the exemption at section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), so that we do not also have to deal with your request under FOISA.

This exemption is subject to the 'public interest test'. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption, because there is no public interest in dealing with the same request under two different regimes. This is essentially a technical point and has no material effect on the outcome of your request.

Response

A copy of all of the information you requested is attached.

Please note that whilst the Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy stated that the output from this report will help inform the Iterative Plan Review process, this has now been superseded by the UK Government's Offshore Transmission Network Review.

An exception under regulation 11(2) of the EIRs (personal information) applies to some of the information requested because it is personal data of a third party and disclosing it would contravene the data protection principles in Article 5(1) of the General Data Protection Regulation and in section 34(1) of the Data Protection Act 2018. This exception is not subject to the 'public interest test', so we are not required to consider if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exception.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

OREC report - PN000341-RPT-001 - Rev 01 - Scottish Offshore Wind and Grid Connection - Grid Constraints and Potential Solutions (003)_Redacted

File type

82 page PDF

File size

3.5 MB