Scotland’s energy minister today called for urgent reform to grid connections in order to deliver the country’s offshore wind potential.
Speaking at the Global Offshore Wind 2023 conference in London, Gillian Martin MSP said there was more regulator Ofgem, the National Grid electricity system operator and UK Government could do.
There are several gigawatt-scale offshore wind projects planned in Scottish waters, as a result of the ScotWind auction, but a lack of grid infrastructure is a major barrier to development.
Infrastructure challenge
Work is needed to connect them to key power demand hubs – other cities throughout the UK – and address the issue of higher transmission charges in Scotland.
Siemens Energy set out the scale of the challenge at the All-Energy Conference in Glasgow last month.
It said the National Grid needed, by 2035, to deliver five times as much infrastructure as it has in the past 40 years.
Offshore wind is ‘greatest economic opportunity of recent times’
According to Ms Martin, ScotWind has “set the benchmark” for industrial-scale deployment.
She went on to describe the offshore wind leasing round as “the greatest economic opportunity of recent times” which Scotland must capitalise on.
Addressing delegates at Global Offshore Wind 2023, the Aberdeenshire East SNP MSP added: “There is more Ofgem, the National Grid electricity system operator and UK Government can do. High transmission charges remain a key barrier to net-zero in Scotland and a new approach is needed.
“Reform of the connections process is urgently required to allow projects to join when they’re ready to do so. And the UK Government needs to provide the right powers to the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government that will enable us to modernise the planning and consenting system for grid infrastructure.
Grid connections key to Scottish and UK net-zero ambitions
“These are challenges which must be tackled immediately if Scotland – and indeed the UK – is to stay on target for a just transition to net-zero and to truly reap the benefits of Scotland’s enormous offshore wind potential.”
Grid concerns were also addressed by offshore wind champion Tim Pick in his report earlier this year.
He said upcoming recommendations from electricity network commissioner Nick Winser on these issues “should be taken very seriously”.
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