Introduction

On 22 May 2008, The Crown Estate requested initial expressions of interest from companies wishing to be considered for developing commercial scale windfarms within Scottish territorial waters. Following the initial registration process, The Crown Estate invited registered companies to submit project proposals for assessment. By the close of this application process we had received 23 site applications from a total of 14 development companies and consortia.

Following this high level of interest in the development of offshore windfarms in Scottish territorial waters, the Scottish Government announced on 29 October 2008 that they will carry out a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) for offshore wind. The SEA will ensure the significant offshore wind resource is developed strategically and the Scottish Government has announced that it will prioritise completion of the process within one year.

Process & Timetable

A call for expressions of interest was made on 22 May 2008 and the closing date for submission of registration details was 23 June 2008. Following this, application packs were sent to all registered companies for completion within a three-month period. The closing date for receipt of applications was 10 October 2008 and applications are currently being assessed by The Crown Estate and our advisors. Following the application evaluation process, successful applicants will be granted exclusive development rights to a given area. The grant of any lease to allow construction of a windfarm will be subject to a favourable SEA outcome, site specific environmental impact assessment (EIA) and statutory consents.

Further calls for interest will be considered in the future.

ill be updated frequently and further details of the timetable will be provided in due course.

Further Information

For further information please email: Scottish Windfarms