Capital investment almost trebled to unlock private sector
growth.
Record funding of £150 million capital investment from the
Scottish Government will support the growth of the offshore wind
sector and support thousands of well-paid, green jobs across
Scotland over the next decade.
Overall strategic investment of up to £500 million over five
years is expected to boost private investment in the sector by up
to £1.5 billion and unlock opportunities for growth in a variety
of industries in key areas from ports, manufacturing and assembly
work to major supply chain opportunities.
The 2025-26 Scottish Budget also sets out a commitment to
establish an offshore wind hub in the North-East to provide an
additional route for industry to engage with policy teams.
The investment follows the recent publication of the Green
Industrial Strategy which highlighted Scotland's wind economy as
one of five priority areas to secure growth and investment.
Acting Net Zero and Energy Secretary said:
“Accelerating Scotland's offshore wind capabilities presents
enormous economic opportunities for our country.
“Our vast resources provide us with significant opportunity to
create thousands of well-paid, green jobs across Scotland while
accelerating our journey to net zero. We must maximise the
economic benefits from offshore wind deployment if we are to
ensure a just transition that takes our existing skilled
workforce and supply chain with us.
“This significant investment will help boost innovation and
expertise in the sector, create a highly productive and
competitive economy and deliver a sustainable supply chain that
will benefit all of Scotland for decades to come.
“We will work with industry and public sector partners to ensure
we identify and deliver the best projects at pace."
Claire Mack, Chief Executive of Scottish Renewables, said:
“The renewable energy industry is pleased that the Scottish
Government will increase the next tranche of its funding
commitment to the offshore wind supply chain. It is also
encouraging to see the revenues from ScotWind directly utilised
for clean industrial growth.
“We will work closely with the Scottish Government to help shape
how this funding can be used as part of the wider investment
landscape in order to secure the flow of significant private
capital into the infrastructure that will help Scotland optimise
the opportunity brought by offshore wind.”
Background
Scottish Budget
2025-26
The £150 million capital investment in offshore wind, announced
in the 2025-26 Budget, is year two of our five-year commitment to
invest up to £500 million into the sector. It will support market
certainty and create a highly productive, competitive offshore
wind economy that supports thousands of new jobs, embeds
innovation and boosts skills. It is supported by £12.5 million of
resource funding.
The funding follows on from total capital and resource funding of
£67 million in 2024-25.
The Offshore Wind Focus
paper sets out the approach to prioritising investment to
maximise the economic value for Scotland.
