Scotland and the US state of New Jersey are to share offshore wind “best practice”, thanks to an agreement signed by the first minister.
Nicola Sturgeon has inked a joint climate change agreement with Governor of New Jersey Phil Murphy focusing on the role of offshore wind in decarbonising the energy sector.
Scotland has a number of big developments in the north-east due to kick off shortly, such as the 100 turbine Moray East wind project, the Neart Na Goethe (NNG) windfarm and the Inch Cape development off the Angus coast.
Scotland also boasts the Aberdeen Bay Offshore Windfarm, able to power up to 70% of the city’s energy requirement, and the soon-to-be completed Beatrice Offshore Windarm, one of the biggest construction projects in Scottish infrastructure history.
New Jersey has established a goal of 3,500 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind energy by 2030.
The agreement has set out plans to share experience and best practice and promote business opportunities.
Ms Sturgeon said: “We all have a moral responsibility to tackle climate change and the Scottish Government has set ambitious targets to reduce emissions and increase our electricity from renewable sources.
“Climate change is a global problem and agreements like these, working in partnership with like-minded administrations, will help us tackle the harmful effects it has on the planet.
“I look forward to working with New Jersey as we work towards our shared ambitions.”
Scotland agreed a similar deal with the Governor of California in 2017.
Governor Murphy added:“As New Jersey progresses on the path to 100% clean energy, we are grateful to partner with Scotland to tackle the issue of climate change head on.
“Scotland has a world-class offshore wind industry and we are looking forward to learning from them as we establish offshore wind farms in our state.”
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