Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Floating Offshore Wind

Wednesday 16 November 2022 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Government recognises Scotland's role in the UK's target of 5 GW of floating offshore wind energy by 2030.
  • Scotland is a world leader in floating offshore wind, home to the world's first and largest commercial projects.
  • The Secretary of State is willing to meet with Scottish Government counterparts to discuss job creation opportunities through offshore wind investment.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Selaine Saxby
Climate Scotland Energy
Context

Discussions about Scotland's contribution towards the UK's target of 5 GW of floating offshore wind energy by 2030.

Question

What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on Scotland's role in delivering the UK's target of 5 GW of floating offshore wind energy by 2030.

Answer from John Lamont

The Government recognise the important role that infrastructure plays in supporting the commercialisation of floating offshore wind at scale across the United Kingdom, including in the Celtic sea, and are committed to building capacity in infrastructure and supply chains to support the growing offshore wind industry.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific details about discussions with Cabinet colleagues on Scotland's role were not provided.

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Q2 Selaine Saxby
Climate Scotland Business & Trade
Context

A concern about the Kincardine floating wind farm off Aberdeen's coast, where turbine fabrication was done in Rotterdam due to lack of UK port capacity.

Question

My hon. Friend will no doubt be aware of the Kincardine floating wind farm off the coast of Aberdeen, but he might not be aware that the fabrication of its turbines took place in Rotterdam because UK ports do not have the capacity to do that work. Does he agree that, to realise the potential of this industry, investment in port infrastructure is crucial and that the lion's share of this investment should be in the Celtic sea?

Answer from John Lamont

I commend my hon. Friend for raising this issue, as it is an important part of the Scottish economy. Scotland is a world leader in floating offshore wind, and it is home to both the world's first and the world's largest commercial floating wind projects—Hywind Scotland and Kincardine. The ScotWind leasing round, announced earlier this year, includes nearly 18 GW of potential floating wind capacity, underlining the scale of the opportunity.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Agreement on investment in port infrastructure was not explicitly given.

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Q3 Margaret Ferrier SNP
Employment Energy Business & Trade
Context

A discussion about the number of jobs created in Scotland due to increased investment in offshore wind.

Question

What discussions has the Secretary of State had with his colleagues and with his Scottish Government counterparts about the number of jobs created in Scotland through greater investment in offshore wind?

Answer from John Lamont

We continue to engage with our colleagues in the Scottish Government on this and a number of other policy areas, I would be happy to meet the hon. Lady to discuss further opportunities that we might be able to create in future.

Not addressed: Specific discussions about job creation figures were not provided.

How: Would Be Happy To Meet

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