Onshore Wind Strategic Leadership Group minutes: 1 November 2023

Attendees and apologies

• Ragne Low, SG Deputy Chair, Scottish Government
• Morag Watson, Sector Deal Lead, Scottish Renewables 
• Neil Douglas, Scottish Renewables Sector Deal Support, BVG Associates
• Graham Gow, Scottish Renewables Sector Deal Support, BVG Associates
• Barry Carruthers, G12 Representative, Scottish Power Renewables
• Marcus Trinick KC, Planning Considerations Lead
• Sam Johnson, Techincal Barriers Lead, Renewable Energy Systems Ltd
• Paul Wheelhouse, Supply Chain, Skills and Circular Economy Lead, South of Scotland Enterprise
• Simon Gill, Legislative and Regulatory Barriers Lead, The Energy Landscape
• Chris Morris, Community Energy Lead, Local Energy Scotland
• Robbie Kernahan, Land Use and Environmental Considerations Lead, NatureScot  

Items and actions

Items and actions

Welcome and feedback

The Scottish Government (SG) deputy Chair welcomed SLG members and asked them to share any feedback they had received following the signing of the Onshore Wind Sector Deal (OnWSD). 

SLG members responded positively on this and highlighted the number of developers, consultancies and other stakeholders interested in contributing to the implementation of the OnWSD and to understand what’s next, across each of the themes. 

Ongoing governance and role of the SLG

The SG deputy Chair summarised the intention to maintain the SLG during the implementation period for the purpose of monitoring, planning and coordination. 

The G12/S5 representative highlighted the value of greater industry representation during the implementation period due to the volume and diversity of the work required. 

Implementation plan

BVGa presented the OnWSD high-level implementation plan. SLG members discussed some of the similarities between commitments and the prospect for actions to achieve progress across multiple commitments. 

SLG members discussed in turn their engagement plan for addressing commitments including the interactions with pre-existing working groups, other SLGs, the Peatland Expert Advisory Group and other industry stakeholders. 

SLG members also discussed the frequency of meetings during the implementation period. 

Close

SG deputy chair thanked SLG members for the attendance and continued commitment to the group. The final agenda item on how to ensure engagement was enabled across industry and wider stakeholders was agreed to be covered by correspondence. 

SLG members discussed the prospect for an industry-funded project manager to assist with the implementation of the OnWSD.