Funding boost for offshore wind

Paul Wheelhouse, Scottish Government Minister for Business, Innovation and Energy was at the Burntisland Fabrication’s (BiFab) yard in Methil, Fife today to announce a further investment of £1.5 million into the Carbon Trust’s world-leading research, development, and demonstration programme – the Offshore Wind Accelerator.

The investment will allow the continuation of funding for projects to explore potential opportunities that offshore wind can offer to Scotland, ultimately leading to a reduction in costs.

The £1.5 million will be used to fund a range of projects to explore the potential benefits of offshore wind for Scotland. Funding will also go to projects designed to facilitate and encourage international collaboration and knowledge sharing between offshore wind developers, in order to tackle some industry-wide problems, and stimulate innovation in the sector.

Energy Minister, Paul Wheelhouse, said:

“The Scottish Government’s decision to invest a further £1.5 million into the OWA is a ringing endorsement of the great potential of this programme to help Scotland to utilise the full potential of offshore wind, and to ensure that we make it as affordable as possible.

“The Carbon Trust have done a fantastic job so far in reducing the costs of offshore wind, as well as encouraging collaboration across the public and private sectors to improve the industry as a whole.

“The potential benefits of offshore wind energy in Scotland are enormous, which is why the Scottish Government is committed to its development. By continuing to invest in it, not only are we stimulating economic change for the better, but we’re also helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Scotland and helping to fight the impacts of climate change.”

The OWA programme brings together nine of the largest offshore wind developers in Europe; DONG Energy, EnBW, E.ON, Iberdrola, innogy, SSE, Statkraft, Statoil and Vattenfall.

Jan Matthiesen, Director, the Carbon Trust commented:

“The Scottish Government’s £1.5 million investment into the programme, alongside investments by nine of the biggest developers in Europe, shows there is real confidence in the ability of the OWA to continue to deliver further cost reductions. This signals continuing support and investment into a programme that has helped to reduce the costs of offshore wind and helped to pave the way towards a subsidy free energy source.” 

In July 2016, the Carbon Trust revealed details of its new European phase of its OWA. This was enhanced by an initial £1.5 million of funding from the Scottish Government for the first year. Today’s announcement marks a renewed investment for a second year to continue to support further progress in ensuring the cost competitiveness of the offshore wind energy in Scotland.