THE First Minister has opened the Scottish Renewables' Offshore Wind Conference at the SEC in Glasgow.
With a short-term pipeline of 6.9GW of projects, Scotland is a global leader in offshore wind, and the conference, sponsored by SSE Renewables, outlines the plans for 2023.
Nicola Sturgeon told the conference in her ministerial address that the Scottish Government will do everything in its power to help the success of offshore wind.
She said: “The Scottish Government has just published our draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan which reflects our understanding and belief that offshore wind will be essential not only in enabling us to achieve our net-zero ambitions, but also crucial to Scotland's long-term economic prospects and prosperity.
“Your industry, and the issues you’re focusing on, could not be more important to our country’s future. For Scotland, offshore wind and the green hydrogen industry that you can then help to create offers huge industrial and economic opportunities.
“The need to accelerate our energy transition has never been more urgent and so our priority must be to intensify the work we are doing together to achieve our shared ambitions. The Scottish Government will continue to do all that we can to support your success. The prize – if we get this right – is a greener, fairer, more resilient energy system.”
With more than 800 delegates in attendance over the two-day conference, the sold-out event brings together industry experts, developers, suppliers and stakeholders who will discuss the challenges facing the industry and explore how upcoming projects can positively impact the economy, the environment and local communities.
Claire Mack, chief executive of Scottish Renewables, said: “Scottish Renewables’ Offshore Wind Conference 2023 is a world-class, must-attend event for anyone keen to play a role in the deployment of offshore wind.
“It’s exciting to see such a diverse set of voices coming together to look at the big challenges facing offshore wind, exploring how we can deliver our offshore wind ambitions and ensuring it is the technology at the forefront of the energy transition.
“It is clear that 2023 is going to be another huge year for offshore wind in Scotland and I’d like to thank the First Minister for taking time to give a ministerial address at today’s conference.”
