This was an opportunity for the UK Government to repair the damage caused by recent policy decisions which have discouraged the necessary investment needed to deploy the renewable energy projects required to safeguard our energy security, cut bills for consumers and meet our net-zero targets.

Read our full media response and more detail in the Monthly Briefing email below.

Morag Watson
Director of Policy
E: mwatson@scottishrenewables.com

Annual General Meeting 2023

Members of Scottish Renewables are invited to attend our 2023 Annual General Meeting (AGM) being held on Thursday, May 4 in our new office at Floor 3, 24 St Vincent Place, Glasgow, G1 2EU.

At the AGM we will set out our current priorities and you will have the chance to ask questions or comment on the activities SR’s board and executive team are undertaking on your behalf. This forum is designed to ensure that, as members, you are aware of the breadth and depth of our activity over the last year and also to give you the opportunity to inform and shape our priorities going forward.

Following the AGM, members are invited to join us for a networking reception and launch of Scottish Renewables' new office.

More information is available on our website.

New member for the SR Communications Team

News release: Almost 22,000 studying renewable energy in Scotland, new stats show

Scottish Renewables carried out research which shows that almost 22,000 students in Scotland are taking courses relating to renewable energy – up more than 70% on 2019.

Thirty-three colleges and universities responded to a Freedom of Information request to provide the figures, which show a vast range of courses including engineering, mathematics and finance now include an element of renewables.

The same survey held in 2019 found 12,885 students were studying courses related to renewable energy, compared to 21,919 today.

Claire Mack, Chief Executive of Scottish Renewables, said: “These numbers show the impact renewable energy is already having on Scotland’s economy and the attractiveness of green jobs to today’s young people.”

Kevin Keane, BBC Scotland's Environment, Energy & Rural Affairs Correspondent, reported on our research and the feature appeared throughout the day on BBC radio and the lunchtime and evening TV news slots. It also featured on the BBC website.

Wind Energy Week 2023

Media reaction: New Scottish Government Cabinet

First Minister Humza Yousaf has unveiled his Cabinet team with five members aged under 40 and, for the first time ever, a majority of women.

Responding, Claire Mack, Chief Executive of Scottish Renewables, said: “Scotland’s renewable energy potential is one of the country’s most valuable assets and industry and government have a long history of working closely together to ensure that it is tapped in a way which best benefits our environment, economy and communities.”

Spring Budget submission

SR wrote to HM Treasury ahead of March’s Spring Budget, setting out our industry’s expectations in a number of areas.

You can read our submission on our website.

News release: Scotland’s clean power up by almost a third

The UK Government’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) recently published new figures which show that the amount of clean power generated in Scotland in 2022 is up 29.5% on the previous year.

Renewable electricity increased to 35,253GWh in 2022 up from 27,228GWh with onshore and offshore wind power making up 78% of the overall capacity - up 37.8% from 2021.

Responding, Nick Sharpe, Director of Communications and Strategy at Scottish Renewables, said: “These figures are yet another example of how vital renewable technologies are for the UK’s energy security as well as providing the country with a cleaner, cheaper and greener future."

Blog: Why the world’s watching Scotland’s clean energy industry

Nick's recent conversations with Professor George Busenburg from Soka University of America and Arup's Clare Lavelle reinforced what has been key messaging for Scottish Renewables in recent years: the world really is watching how we are tackling climate change, and the skills we are building here are in demand across the globe.

Read more in our latest blog.

News release: Young Professionals Green Energy Awards Shortlist Announced

The shortlist for the 2023 Young Professionals Green Energy Awards was recently announced.

Rising stars in the renewables energy industry have been shortlisted in eight categories, and winners will receive their awards in a ceremony at the Grand Central Hotel, Glasgow, on April 27.

Chief Executive Claire Mack said: “It is so inspiring to see the next generation shape the future of renewable energy industry and it is incredibly important that Scottish Renewables recognises the young professionals who will continue our drive towards a clean, green future.”

News release: Upgrading our ports is essential to kickstart Scotland’s floating offshore wind industry

The Floating Wind Offshore Wind Taskforce published a report stating that up to five Scottish ports need to be transformed into new industrial hubs as soon as possible to enable the required roll-out of floating offshore wind.

Responding, Emma Harrick, Head of Energy Transition and Supply Chain at Scottish Renewables, said: “Time is of the essence and it is vital that the Scottish and UK Governments invest in Scotland’s ports to build the essential infrastructure we need to kickstart the floating offshore wind industry.”

STV interviewed Emma in its coverage of this announcement, which featured on its six o’clock news.

Supply Chain Forum 

Scottish Renewables recently hosted a combined Supply Chain and Offshore Wind Forum. Thank you to members who attended the virtual session which provided an update on our activities in these areas.

Slides from the session are now available on our website.

Media Reaction: UK Government’s £160 million commitment to Floating Offshore Wind Manufacturing Scheme ‘falls woefully short’

As part of the recent ‘Powering up Britain’ announcements, the UK Government has committed £160 million to its Floating Offshore Wind Manufacturing Scheme which supports the delivery of port infrastructure to facilitate floating offshore wind.

Responding Emma Harrick, Head of Energy Transition and Supply Chain at Scottish Renewables, said: “While we welcome this announcement and that the UK Government has recognised the need to invest in our port infrastructure the £160 million committed to the Floating Offshore Wind Manufacturing Scheme falls woefully short of what we need.

“We need meaningful investment and we need it now.”

Calls for views: financial guarantees

Scottish Renewables is aware of the difficulties that supply chain companies face when it comes to meeting contractual obligations, particularly those involving financial guarantees. We have been working to gather views on how this issue is affecting our members.

The deadline for submission has been extended to COP Monday, April 17. Please send responses to Supply Chain Officer Sophie Pacitti.

Supply Chain Campaign - engagement with The Scottish Government

Following recent news of the roadmap for unlocking a green industrial future for Scotland and to highlight the importance of the renewable energy supply chain, Scottish Renewables presented Ian Blackford, MSP, with our supply chain campaign – Supporting Scotland’s Renewable Energy Supply Chain.

The document outlines recommendations to The Scottish Government on how to maximise the socio-economic benefits from our renewable energy projects, expand the Scottish renewable energy supply chain and guarantee a just transition.

FLOWMIS: Letter to Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero

Ahead of the UK Government’s FLOWMIS announcement, Scottish Renewables sent a letter to the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero regarding the scheme to highlight the significant opportunity to the UK economy which can result from supporting Scottish and UK ports for the deployment of floating offshore wind projects.

The letter emphasised the importance of urgent investment in ports across the UK and the significance of experienced and innovative suppliers in delivering 50GW of offshore wind by 2030.

If you would like to discuss this, please get in touch with Emma.

Ports and Vessels Conference

The Energy Transition and Supply Chain team recently attended the Ports and Vessels Conference in Newcastle. Panels discussed the vital role which ports and vessels play in the success of offshore projects as well as the key challenges and bottlenecks with bigger turbines and new technologies on the horizon.

North America Roadshow 2023

Sophie Pacitti attended DBT’s North America Roadshow where experts provided key advice to UK companies beginning to export to the US and Canada.

The roadshow provided trade negotiation updates, practical advice on exporting and showcased education resources.

National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) guidance

Tom Arthur MSP, Minister for Public Finance, Planning and Community Wealth, has advised that guidance on Local Development Planning and a draft consultation on Local Living and 20-minute Neighbourhoods will be published in Spring 2023. The Scottish Government will also provide an update on the production of other guidance documents when they publish the second iteration of the Delivery Plan in Summer 2023.

NPF4 Delivery Programme 

The NPF4 Delivery Programme committed to the establishment of an Applicant Stakeholder Group that will feed into the High-Level Group on Planning Performance in order to identify priority areas for action. The Planning Act 2019 includes provisions which require authorities to prepare, publish and submit to Scottish Ministers a report on their performance on an annual basis. The performance reporting intends to seek to monitor outcomes as well as processes and timescales for determining applications.

To help with monitoring the implementation and effect of NPF4 and improvements to the planning system more generally, SR has accepted an invitation to be the first chair of the Applicant Stakeholder Group. The Scottish Government advised it will hold the first High-Level Group meeting to agree on Terms of Reference and discuss the outline work programme within three months of the adoption of NPF4 (February 13). Visit the Transforming Planning website for more information.

Future National Parks in Scotland

The Scottish Government has published analysis of the contributions to the challenge exercise it undertook (June 2022) to gauge views on the future of National Parks in Scotland. Read SR’s consultation response.

Further, NatureScot has published advice to Scottish Ministers. Acknowledging “a particular issue relates to large-scale onshore wind farms and other renewable developments”, point 5.33 reiterates SR’s calls for a new National Park proposals “to only be located within existing National Scenic Areas in order to protect renewable energy targets and the policy priority given to them in NPF4 and the new onshore renewable energy statement”. Point 5.34 states NatureScot “remains of the view that there is space in nearly all parts of Scotland to accommodate new National Park(s) and large-scale wind farms. A clearer policy steer is now required from Scottish Government on current and future wind farm proposals which will come forward in the next couple of years, and how these should be taken into account in the selection of new National Park areas”.

SR will continue to engage via the National Park Stakeholder Advisory Group, members, The Scottish Government, NatureScot and other stakeholders.

Contact Mark if you would like to discuss this.

Media reaction: Recycling broken wind turbine parts could create 20,000 UK jobs and multi-billion-pound supply chain

Responding, Nick Sharpe, Director of Communications and Strategy at Scottish Renewables, said: “We know that 80% of a modern wind turbine is recyclable so there are clear opportunities for wind farm operators to harness a circular economy by increasing the reuse of component parts from decommissioned projects.”

Scottish Onshore Wind Sector Deal (SOWSD)

SR is continuing to lead the conversation between the renewable energy industry and The Scottish Government in relation to the establishment of the SOWSD. The SOWSD will seek to capture the needs and ambitions of The Scottish Government and the Scottish wind industry in relation to delivering a minimum installed capacity target of 20GW of onshore wind in Scotland by 2030.

SR and Sector Deal Theme Leads continue to welcome member input as we collaboratively develop the SOWSD. There are ongoing to be opportunities for members to engage via SR Policy Working Groups, Advisory Groups and Forums. The SOWSD pathway is outlined below.

Onshore Wind Strategic Leadership Group (OWSLG) 

Co-chairs Michael Matheson MSP, then Cabinet Secretary for Net-zero, Energy and Transport and Claire Mack convened the second OWSLG meeting on March 15. BVG Associates and SR walked Sector Deal Theme Leads through the scoping document which SR members have helped us develop. The Scottish Government has published meeting minutes online. The OWSLG Terms of Reference and Overview are also available.

SR has also hosted further workshops with Theme Leads, SR’s G12 & S5 Policy Advisory Groups and SR’s Onshore & Planning Policy Working Groups respectively to run through and sense-check the scope.

Repowering Onshore Wind Seminar

Scottish Renewables' Repowering Onshore Wind Seminar on June 6 in Glasgow will hear from leading experts as they share key insights into the business development opportunities presented by decommissioning, life extension and repowering and how Scotland can use first-mover advantage to secure a position as a global centre of expertise.

Secure your place at the member rate.

Marine Energy deployment pathway

Following on from the meeting between Morag Watson, SR Director of Policy, Sue Barr, Chair of the Marine Energy Council and Michael Matheson MSP, then Cabinet Secretary for Net-Zero, Energy & Transport, on February 28 to discuss Scotland’s world leading marine energy sector and the need for a clear deployment pathway for marine energy in Scotland, SR is working with MEC to draft a proposal for inclusion in our response to the consultation on the Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan. Once the draft has been produced, it will be circulated to SR’s Wave & Tidal Forum for feedback.

Media reaction: Orbital Marine Power unveils new 30MW todal energy project in Orkney waters

Orbital Marine Power, a renewable energy company focused on the commercial deployment of floating tidal turbine technology, unveiled plans for a new 30MW tidal energy project, Westray, in Orkney.

Responding, Amy Keast, Senior Policy Manager at Scottish Renewables, said: “Orbital Marine Power’s Westray project is yet another example of how much potential there is in Scotland for the development of tidal energy technology."

Marine Scotland Consenting and Licensing Guidance for Offshore Renewables

Marine Scotland Directorate is hosting a series of online meetings to further clarify the proposed revisions to the ‘Consenting and Licensing Guidance For Offshore Wind, Wave and Tidal Energy Applications’. 

Marine Scotland is looking for written representations on the proposed revisions by close of play on April 21. Any representations should be sent to: ms.licensingmanualfeedback@gov.scot.

Media Reaction: 13 project selected to support green innovation and help decarbonise North Sea

As part of the INTOG (Innovation and Targeted Oil & Gas) leasing round, 13 projects have been selected to support green innovation and help decarbonise the North Sea.

Crown Estate Scotland announced the results of the world’s first leasing round designed to enable offshore wind energy to directly supply offshore oil and gas platforms.

Responding, Scottish Renewables’ Chief Executive, Claire Mack said: "It is essential that INTOG is aligned with ScotWind and its commitments to the Scottish supply chain which should enable strong collaboration between projects to invest and support Scottish suppliers with the delivery of these projects.”

Highly Protected Marine Areas consultation

The Scottish Government published its consultation on Highly Protected Marine Areas: policy framework on December 12. The Scottish Government has committed to designate 10% of seas as HPMAs by 2026 as part of the Bute House Agreement, with the target of reaching 30% of varying levels of protection for Scottish seas by 2030.

Scottish Renewables has published a second draft response and is seeking additional views on this response.  

Please contact Hettie if you would like to provide any further comments.

Marine Scotland Consenting and Licensing Guidance for Offshore Wind, Wave and Tidal Energy Applications

The Scottish Government's Marine Scotland Directorate is inviting stakeholders to provide feedback on the proposed revisions to the ‘Consenting and Licensing Guidance For Offshore Wind, Wave and Tidal Energy Applications’. Specifically, Marine Scotland Directorate is looking to collate views on changes to some of the established Section 36 consenting and marine licensing practices for offshore renewable energy projects.

Scottish Renewables is currently working on a first response which will be provided to members shortly for feedback.

Please contact Hettie if you would like to provide any further comments.

Marine Conference & Dinner 2023

Scottish Renewables’ Marine Conference & Dinner on May 25 in Edinburgh will bring together key industry players to discuss the cutting-edge developments happening here in Scotland and assess the opportunities and challenges the sector will face in its journey to full commercialisation.

Book your place at the member rate.

Contracts for Difference: Budget announced and application window opens

The Energy Department has published the statutory notices for Allocation Round 5 of the CfD, including the Budget Notice. A total budget of £205 million was announced, comprising £170 million for Pot 1 and £35 million for Pot 2 with £10 million ringfenced for tidal stream. After writing to the Energy Department to emphasise the importance of maximising volume procured and taking measures to ensure a diverse outcome after the move to a two-pot structure, the announcement was disappointing and constitutes a significant shortfall in ambition.

The application window for AR5 opened on March 30 and will close on April 24. Further detail on the timeline for AR5 can be found on the LCCC website.

Responding to the announcement, Andrew MacNish Porter, Policy Manager – Economics and Markets at Scottish Renewables, said: By failing to take account of the increased cost pressures and economic challenges facing developers the budgets for Allocation Round 5 fall significantly short of what will be required to maximise the amount of cheap, clean renewable energy delivered by this year’s round of the Contracts for Difference mechanism."

Spring Budget

Ahead of his Spring Budget on March 15, SR wrote to Jeremy Hunt alongside other leading trade bodies to highlight the urgent need for reform to UK’s capital allowance regime. Two headline reforms to capital allowances were announced: the introduction of full expensing and the extension of the 50% first year allowance.

Responding to the Budget announcement, Scottish Renewables’ Chief Executive Claire Mack: said: “The renewable energy industry has been short-changed by today’s Spring Budget.

“We urgently need a framework that will encourage investment in what is one of the UK’s most dynamic and fastest-growing industries and is at the forefront of the clean energy transition."

Grid & Networks Working Group meeting

Scottish Renewables hosted the quarterly meeting of our Grid and Networks Working Group on March 16. The topics of discussion included Offshore Transmission Network Review (OTNR): Pathway to 2030 consultation, Energy Code Governance Reform ‘call for input’, EDF Renewables Transmission Network Use of System (TNUoS) predictability proposal, National Grid Electricity System Operator (NGESO) Connections Reform and ‘2-stage’ connection offers, Holistic Network Design Follow Up Exercise (HNDFUE) and CMP376: Inclusion of Queue Management process within the CUSC.

Connections reform

Last month, the ESO released a five-point plan to address the current challenges to connections in GB. The plan aims to put into place new processes that will speed up connections and looks to enable proactive management of the queue.

As part of this we attended a webinar on March 30 on the ESO's two-stage offer process and ongoing Transmissions Reinforcements Works (TRW).  If you are interested in this area of work, please contact Stephen.

Holistic Network Design follow up exercise

Scottish Renewables attended meetings held by RUK/OWIC on March 22 and 23 regarding the ESO's Holistic Network Design for offshore wind/ScotWind projects and Anticipatory Investment. 

Central Design Group (CDG) - Holistic Network Design (HND)

Scottish Renewables attended a CDG meeting of the HND on March 20. The topics of discussion were confidential, but NGESO is in the process of developing material that could be shared with developers. If you have any concerns about the HND that you would like us to raise at these meetings, please get in touch.

Scottish Parliament's Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Scottish Renewables gave evidence to the Scottish Parliament's Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee on March 21 regarding its enquiry on 'Scotland’s electricity infrastructure: inhibitor or enabler of our energy ambitions?'.

If you are interested in this area of work, please contact Stephen.

Orkney Transmission Project – Minded-to consultation

On March 3 Ofgem published its Orkney Transmission Project – Minded-to consultation. You can read our consultation response on the SR website.

UK Government ‘Green Day’ announcements on heat and buildings

In its ‘Green Day’ package of policies with regards to heat and buildings, the UK Government confirmed it will move to “rebalance” the cost of gas bills relative to electricity, in line with the recommendations of the Skidmore review.

Another key initiative outlined in the documents is a consultation on a clean heat mandate, which would work in a similar way to the ZEV mandate for cars and vans.

Government also launched a £30 million “heat-pump investment accelerator” to “incentivise the UK manufacture of heat pumps to improve supply of low-carbon heat”.

Please get in touch if you would like to discuss this.

UK Government ‘Green Day’ announcements on hydrogen

As part of the UK Government's 'Green Day' announcements, fifteen hydrogen projects  - including projects in Inverness, Lanarkshire, East Ayrshire and Kintore - progressed to the next application round for funding under the £240m Net Zero Hydrogen Fund.

A consultation on business models for hydrogen production and industrial carbon capture business models was also released. It closes on May 10 and we will be responding.

SR Hydrogen Forum

Scottish Enterprise will be publishing two reports on the end uses of hydrogen in Scotland in April. SR will be holding an online Hydrogen Forum on May 16 between 2-3.30pm where Scottish Enterprise will present its findings and there will be an opportunity to ask questions of the report’s authors.

Details are being finalised and further information, including how to register for the event, will be sent to the SR Hydrogen Forum soon.