First Minister opens Scottish Renewables’ Offshore Wind Conference

More than 800 delegates attend ‘world class’ event

Scotland is a global leader in offshore wind which is at the forefront of our energy transition.

With a short-term pipeline of 6.9GW of projects, last year’s staggering ScotWind Leasing results will see a further 28GW of projects added to our offshore timeline which has outlined the scale of things to come.

We know that offshore wind is going to transform our coastlines and the opportunities this presents are enormous. But we must put innovation at the heart of everything to ensure we have a supportive policy and planning environment, a rapid acceleration of current timescales and the infrastructure required to maximise the economic benefits for Scotland.

That’s why Scottish Renewables’ Offshore Wind Conference, sponsored by SSE Renewables, is a big deal and it’s why last month (January 25 and 26) our industry’s movers and shakers descended on the SEC in Glasgow to review the state of this thriving sector and its ambitions for the years ahead.

The sell-out event welcomed more than 800 delegates from across the UK and beyond for a fascinating two days of discussions exploring the big challenges facing the industry and how it can deliver successful projects with positive impacts for the economy, the environment and local communities.

A key date in the event calendar, this year’s two-day conference brought together a diverse set of voices to explore the future of offshore wind. From thought leadership to practical supply chain advice, the conference welcomed industry experts, developers, suppliers and stakeholders to review the state of our offshore wind aspirations.

For the first time, our new supply chain focused sessions and events allowed companies to spend invaluable and exclusive time with offshore wind tier one developers which we hope has given them a platform to grow their businesses in offshore wind.

The annual Offshore Wind Conference Dinner, sponsored by Crown Estate Scotland, saw more than 450 renewable energy professionals come together at Glasgow’s iconic Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum for a traditional three course Burns Supper and relaxed evening of networking.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon opened the conference and in her ministerial address told the conference that The Scottish Government will do all it can to support the success of offshore wind and its priority must be to intensify the work it is doing together with industry to achieve our shared ambitions of a "greener, fairer, more resilient energy system".

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon speaking at the conference said: “The Scottish Government has just published our draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan which reflects our commitment to accelerating the transition away from fossil fuels, and towards renewable energy.

“Your industry, and the issues you’re focusing on, could not be more important to our country’s future. For Scotland, offshore wind and the hydrogen industry offer huge industrial and economic opportunities.

“The need to accelerate our energy transition has never been more urgent and so our priority must be to intensify the work we are doing together, to achieve our shared ambitions. The Scottish Government will continue to do all that we can to support your success. The prize – if we get this right – is a greener, fairer, more resilient energy system.”

Claire Mack, Chief Executive of Scottish Renewables said: “Scottish Renewables’ Offshore Wind Conference 2023 is a world class must-attend event for anyone keen to play a role in the deployment of offshore wind.

“It’s exciting to see such a diverse set of voices coming together to look at the big challenges facing offshore wind, exploring how we can deliver our offshore wind ambitions and ensuring it is the technology at the forefront of the energy transition.

“I’m really pleased that our innovative ‘Meet-the-Buyer Business Booths’ have been a huge success and this exclusive one-to-one access will bring a new dynamic to how the supply chain is able to engage with developers and Tier 1 suppliers.

“It is clear that 2023 is going to be another huge year for offshore wind in Scotland and I’d like to thank the First Minister for taking time out of her busy schedule to give a ministerial address at today’s conference.”

For more information, please visit www.scottishrenewables.com

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