Responding to news that SSE has decided to significantly narrow the focus of its near term development plans for its offshore wind development portfolio, Lindsay Leask, Senior Policy Manager at Scottish Renewables, said:
“These decisions reinforce the uncertainty which developers have about the future of the offshore wind sector, and reinforce that continued, strong support from both the Scottish and UK Governments is absolutely critical to the future of the industry.
“In turn, the sector needs to continue to work hard to deliver cost reductions which will further prove that offshore wind is an economic alternative to other forms of generation.
“However, we should not forget that we continue to have plans for five major offshore wind farms off Scotland’s east coast, which could provide a significant economic boost to Scotland and businesses across the country, as well as making a massive contribution to cutting carbon emissions.”