Crown Estate Scotland (CES) has appointed global engineering and consultancy firm Arup as specialist reviewers for ScotWind Leasing, the new leasing round for offshore wind projects.
Arup will work together with CES to finalize the approach to evaluating applications from developers. Its expertise will be applied to advise on the process by which developer applications are assessed and option agreements allocated to successful bidders.
In addition, Arup will be part of the team of reviewers which will evaluate individual applications together with CES.
The offshore wind leasing round is the first to be launched by Crown Estate Scotland and will seek to attract investment to Scotland to help reduce national carbon emissions and enable wider socio-economic benefits for communities. The leasing round will aim to provide a significant contribution to Scotland's efforts in achieving its 2045 net-zero emissions target.
Arup Scotland energy leader Clare Lavelle said: “Working with the Crown Estate Scotland on its first leasing round will have a significant impact on Scotland's ability to become a net-zero emissions economy by 2045.
“We have a proven track record supporting offshore wind projects in Scotland, the UK and globally and we’re committed to helping the industry innovate and progress alongside Crown Estate Scotland.”
John Robertson, Head of Energy & Infrastructure at Crown Estate Scotland said: “We are committed to helping enable Scotland’s ambition to achieve a net-zero emissions target by 2045 through our role as manager of Scotland’s seabed. ScotWind Leasing will provide certainty and clarity for those seeking to lease seabed for new offshore wind farms in Scottish Waters, encouraging low-carbon generation, and we look forward to working with Arup as we deliver a robust and transparent leasing process.”
Crown Estate Scotland plays a critical role in the development of offshore wind. As well as awarding and managing leases they support developers through pre-planning and consenting to construction, and work with industry to tackle environmental and technical issues, reduce costs and build investor confidence.