Scotland secures clean power projects in latest UK Government auction round
Scottish renewable energy projects with a joint capacity to generate almost 2GW of clean electricity have today (September 3) won contracts in a vital UK auction, with Green Volt, on Scotland’s east coast, set to become the world’s largest floating offshore wind farm.
A total of 37 Scottish projects won Contracts for Difference (CfD) in a competitive UK Government auction process. Two fixed offshore wind developments off Scotland’s east coast and key projects in onshore wind sit alongside solar and tidal stream developments which will add to the £10 billion of economic benefits delivered by renewables in Scotland each year.
After the failure of last year’s auction, which attracted no bids from offshore wind projects, today’s announcement from the UK Government will boost investor confidence in the renewable energy industry.
Claire Mack, Chief Executive of Scottish Renewables, said:
“Today’s results are positive for Scotland as they enable projects coming forward across a number of key renewable technologies.
“This auction represents a welcome step in the right direction and largely provides cause for optimism.
“Scotland has an enviable pipeline of offshore wind and potentially world leading sites in floating wind. The award of a CfD for what is currently the largest floating offshore windfarm across the globe, is therefore very encouraging. However, recent auctions have failed to deliver the smaller test and demonstration projects which would be helpful to gain the expertise and learning required to develop floating technology and its supply chain.
“It is also important the UK government understands that today’s auction results mean it is still not on track to achieving its clean power mission by 2030 so further actions will be required.
“With this auction round procuring less than half of the eligible offshore wind capacity we are now at a critical juncture and the UK Government must ensure that next year’s auction brings forward the capacity needed to deliver its net-zero targets.
“Seeing more Scottish projects is very welcome but we urge the UK Government to work with us to reduce or remove the barriers to deployment, such as the disproportionate charges to connect to the electricity network, that we face in Scotland.
“Today’s results are a strong step in the right direction and we look forward to working collaboratively with industry and government to ensure next year’s auction round will be shaped to deliver as many Scottish projects as possible to support a cheaper, cleaner more resilient energy system.”
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