This week, trade bodies, unions, ports and business groups wrote and signed a letter to the Energy Secretary, to raise concerns about the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP). They warn that the plan could sideline Scotland’s floating offshore wind sector and put major ScotWind projects at risk.
The letter warns of projects potentially being “delayed, scaled back or face a much harder route to construction”.
It also references Scotland’s future in British energy and the broader supply chain, saying that it “would send a negative and unwelcome signal to developers, manufacturers, ports and investors that the UK government sees a much diminished role for Scottish offshore wind in Britain’s future energy system”
“That would weaken confidence across the supply chain, reduce the prospect of contracts coming to Scotland and make further investment in Scottish ports and industrial facilities harder to justify.”
The SSEP is being prepared by the National Energy Systems Operator (NESO). It will cover how the national grid moves electricity and gas around the UK and an energy infrastructure investment map for 2026 – 2050.
A draft plan is expected to be complete soon, followed by a period of consultation, in which comments or objections can be made.
