Climate crisis: Scotland opens seabed to £8bn worth of offshore wind

First such project in a decade could deliver ‘more than enough’ renewable electricity to power every Scottish household, says Crown Estate Scotland

Wind farm off the coast of Aberdeen, eastern Scotland, an area usually associated with the oil and gas industries (Getty)

Scotland could soon see up to £8bn worth of investment in offshore wind power — enough to power every household in the country — as the seabed has been opened to new wind farm developments for the first time in a decade.

Crown Estate Scotland, which manages the seabed around the country, has launched a new round of offshore wind leasing that it says will “form a major part of Scotland’s green recovery” and “help power the transition to a net zero future”.

If the maximum efficiencies are realised, the decision could prevent six million tonnes of carbon dioxide entering the atmosphere each year, the organisation said.