UK Gov to invest £160m to create floating offshore wind ports in Scotland

The UK Government has set aside tens of millions of pounds to build new large-scale floating offshore wind ports and factories.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced recently that developers and manufacturers in Scotland and Wales will be able to bid for a share of up to £160 million in funding.

It’s hoped the cash will go some way to hitting the target in the 10 Point Plan to deliver 1GW of energy through floating offshore wind by 2030.

That’s nearly nine times more than the current volumes worldwide.

Floating wind allows turbines to be put further out to sea in deeper waters where the wind tends to be windier.

It is expected that the £160 million, boosted by private sector investment, will develop port infrastructure capable of mass-producing floating offshore wind turbines and installing them out at sea.

In doing so, Westminster is hoping to help create thousands of new jobs in the UK’s industrial heartlands, whilst reducing the need to import from overseas.

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Mr Johnson said: “Offshore wind is a UK success story in forging our Green Industrial Revolution. Tapping into this emerging sector will boost our clean electricity generation even further, creating jobs and green innovation across the whole of the UK.

“This comes as the Prime Minister attends the critical G20 summit in Italy ahead of COP26 next week, as he urges major economies to phase out coal and accelerate the transition to clean technology and energy around the world.

“The UK’s success story in the offshore wind industry has seen costs fall by 65%. Replicating this around the world will be crucial to helping halve global emissions by 2030, helping to keep within reach the limit to temperatures rises to 1.5C.

Making the most of the deep waters off the Scottish coast offers huge opportunities for Scotland’s coastal communities.

Two of the world’s first floating offshore wind farms currently sit off the north-east coast.

Hywind Scotland has been producing green energy near Peterhead since 2017, while Kincardine was recently installed off the coast of Aberdeen.

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Kwasi Kwarteng, business and energy secretary, said: “This investment will help to attract further private sector backing to boost our industrial heartlands. It will create and support thousands of good quality jobs ensuring they remain at the forefront of the next generation of clean energy as we build back greener.

“Floating offshore wind is key to unlocking the spectacular wind energy resource we enjoy in the UK, particularly in the deep waters around the coasts of Scotland and Wales. This new investment will put us in a leading position to capture the full economic benefit of this fast growing industry.”