Scoping Study For Offshore Wave Energy Development In Scottish Waters | Scottish Marine and Freshwater Science Vol 3 No 2

The Scottish Government has set a range of challenging targets for energy and climatechange. These recognise the potential to take advantage of the extensive marine energyresources (wind, wave and tidal power) available in Scottish waters and include meeting atleast 30% of total energy demand from renewable sources by 2020, incorporating:o 100% of electricity demand from renewables (31% by 2011)o 11% of heat demand from renewableso 10% of transport fuel from renewablesIn addition, the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 sets statutory targets of at least 42%emissions cuts by 2020, and at least 80% by 2050.To assist in meeting these targets, the Scottish Government has adopted an iterativeapproach to marine planning for the renewable energy sectors. A Sectoral Marine Plan forOffshore Wind Energy in Scottish Territorial Waters (Blue Seas - Green Energy) sets out theGovernment's vision for developing offshore wind energy up to 2020 and beyond and hasidentified short term development sites for offshore wind up to 2020, with a potential todeliver almost five Gigawatts (GW) of electricity generation capacity. A new Scoping Studyextends the potential development area out to 200 nm.A sensitivity analysis of the process used to develop the offshore wind Plan concluded that,as additional data and monitoring information and improved data handling proceduresbecome available, these should be incorporated into the emerging iterative marine planningprocess.

A process was put in place by Marine Scotland to develop a Scoping Report for thepotential for wave energy development in Scottish waters out to 200 nautical miles. It isintended that that this will inform the marine planning process by leading to the developmentof Regional Locational Guidance for wave energy development, which in turn will be thebasis for a Sectoral Marine Plan and Sustainability Appraisal to cover wave energydevelopment in Scottish waters.