Crown Estate Scotland said on Tuesday that a total of 19 applications have been made for its Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (INTOG) offshore wind leasing process, aimed at cutting emissions from offshore oil and gas platforms in the UK North Sea.
"This level of interest from industry demonstrates significant support for this exciting new opportunity," Crown Estate Scotland said.
"INTOG will help to decarbonize the North Sea oil and gas sector by supporting the building of wind farm projects connected to oil and gas infrastructure (TOG) providing electricity and will reduce the carbon emissions associated with oil and gas production. It will also allow for the development of small-scale (IN) innovative offshore wind projects of 100MW or less," Crown Estate Scotland said,
Of the 19 applications, 10 are for the Innovation part, while nine have been submitted for the TOG element. These applications have been sited in those locations set out in the Scottish Government’s Initial Planning Framework.
Crown Estate Scotland will now assess the applications. The offer of Exclusivity Agreements for both IN and TOG projects is anticipated to be announced by the end of April 2023.