ABPmer was commissioned by Marine Scotland to support the development and appraisal of Scotland’s 2020 Offshore Wind Plan which is seeking to provide up to an additional GW of offshore wind capacity in the period to 2050. The plan provides for both fixed bottom and floating offshore wind technologies.

Plan development followed Marine Scotland’s sectoral marine planning process. This entailed initial scoping work for the required Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), Habitats Regulations Appraisal (HRA) and a socio-economic assessment (SEIA) and analysis and reporting of scoping consultation responses.

We then worked closely with Marine Scotland to further develop draft plan option areas (DPOs) for offshore wind development and to prepare Regional Locational Guidance (RLG), an SEA, HRA, SEIA and overall Sustainability Appraisal (SA). Information from the draft appraisals was used to support refinement of the DPOs in an iterative manner, in particular to take account of potential issues relating to marine protected areas and protected species and to address potential interactions with other sea users, particularly commercial fishing and shipping.

Scottish Government consulted on the draft plan between November 2019 – March 2020. ABPmer supported the public consultation on the draft plan through attendance at a number of key stakeholder events and prepared a comprehensive consultation analysis at the end of the consultation period.

The plan informs Crown Estate Scotland’s ‘Scotwind’ leasing round.

ABPmer is a recognised thought leader in marine planning, with extensive experience of strategic and sectoral planning. We are regularly called to support national planning processes across the UK, Ireland and internationally, and undertake applied research studies to support implementation.