Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy - Plan Options

What is it: 

The Sectoral Marine Plan idnetifies sustainable plan options for the future development of commercial-scale offshore wind energy in Scotland, including deep water wind technologies and covers both Scottish inshore and offshore waters.

The Plan seeks to contribute to the achievement of Scottish and UK energy and climate change policy objectives and targets, through the provision of a spatial strategy to inform the seabed leasing process for commercial offshore wind energy in Scottish waters, which:

  • minimises the potential adverse effects on other marine users, economic sectors and the environment resulting from further commercial-scale offshore wind development; and
  • maximises opportunities for economic development, investment and employment in Scotland, by identifying new opportunities for commercial scale offshore wind development, including deeper water wind technologies.

The draft Plan Options provide the spatial footprint for this ScotWind Leasing round, managed by Crown Estate Scotland.

Data originators: 
Scottish Government (Marine Directorate)
This information page is part of the theme: 
Renewable Energy
More Information: 

The Plan Options ("PO") were derived through an iterative analysis of opportunity and constraint in Scottish waters.  A constraint model was produced by combining multiple spatial features together in a weighted model to identify higher and lower levels of constraint on the development of offshore wind.  Areas of Search features were then drawn into the model.  Once Areas of Search are selected to progress in the planning process they became DPOs and were assessed under a Sustainability Appraisal.  The results of that Sustainability Appraisal and the draft Sectoral Marine Plan were published for consultation between 18 December and 25 March 2020.  The consultation responses have helped inform the selection of the Final Plan Options.

This page was last modified on : 
Wednesday, October 28, 2020 - 16:18

Links and Resources

Map Type Click title for metadata and licence informationsort descending Date of data View Map
Map Layers (NMPi) Sectoral Marine Plan (SMP) - Wind (Offshore) Plan Options (2020) 2021-05-11 Access this map on NMPi
Type Link Titlesort descending External Link
Reports Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy www.gov.scot
Type Title External link
Reports Draft Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Consultation Details