On a windy day, Scotland’s onshore turbines already supply most of its electricity demand. Scotland has been a pioneer of energy and engineering, from the early days of steam, through Clyde ship building, to North Sea oil and gas. Now our people’s expertise and inventiveness are shaping the 21st century energy landscape, with 57% of our electricity already generated from Renewables.
Abundant Resources – the industry estimates there are another 20 billion barrels of oil and gas to recover from the UK Continental Shelf, over the next 30-40 years, worth about $1 trillion currently. Scotland also has 25% of Europe’s wind crossing its landmass and the world’s 2nd most powerful tidal resources surrounding its 12,000km of coastline. On a windy day, Scotland’s onshore turbines already supply most of its electricity demand. Projects like the Beatrice offshore wind farm, Meygen Atlantis Tidal array and Statoil Hywind floating offshore wind, will add to this capacity, creating £ billions of capital expenditure. Further ahead, if more of this huge potential renewable energy off Scotland’s coast can be harnessed, it will also offer energy companies massive export opportunities.
Exceptional Experience – Scotland has over 50 years of global offshore oil and gas experience, particularly in subsea engineering, well management, operations & maintenance and health & safety, hosting around 2,000 supply chain companies and employing about 45% of UK’s oil & gas workforce. Our history of oil and gas exploration and recovery has created a skills base of very qualified staff and a wide range of proven suppliers available to develop energy projects in challenging environments. It has also left a legacy of large deep-water rig construction sites suitable for the renewables industry.
“On a windy day, Scotland’s onshore turbines already supply most of its electricity demand.”
Outstanding Locations – Aberdeen Harbour is North West Europe’s busiest energy port, with plans to expand its capacity further with a £415m deepwater extension. Just 30 miles north up the Energetica corridor, Peterhead has built on its fishing port pedigree to become an important energy supply chain base as well. Scotland offers an ideal base for manufacturers to develop Scottish, European and worldwide markets, with seven of its ports designated as Low Carbon / Renewables Enterprise areas to stimulate manufacturing and job creation opportunities, offering business rates relief, capital allowances and fast track planning, for companies locating there.
Unique Capabilities – Scotland is home to Europe’s largest energy research group across 12 Scottish universities (the Energy Technology Partnership). By accessing world class R&D, test and demonstration facilities such as the Oil & Gas Innovation Centre in Aberdeen, the ORE Catapult’s Levenmouth test turbine in Fife, EMEC in Orkney, the world’s only full scale grid connected marine test facility and the Power Networks Demonstration Centre in Cumbernauld, companies can collaborate with Scottish academia to offer industry faster innovation and cost reduction.
Unrivalled Support – the UK and Scottish Governments have worked closely with industry bodies such as Oil & Gas UK, to respond to the very challenging global prices of sub $50 per barrel. In 2015, the Scottish Government set up the Energy Jobs Taskforce to offer a range of support to those most affected by the downturn. More recently Scottish companies have been actively encouraged and supported to innovate and collaborate to cut costs, adapt their products / services for related sectors closer to home, as well as seek new opportunities in over 50 oil and gas markets worldwide.
(“Scotland is world-renowned for its oil and gas skills and expertise and we’re doing everything we can to support the sector to maximise international growth opportunities” David Rennie International Sector Head of Oil & Gas – Scottish Enterprise – optional if 600 words strict limit) In tandem, to help achieve the Scottish Government’s 2020 target of generating 100% of electricity demand from renewables, over £200m of public funds has been made available in addition to UK subsidies and EU funding, for projects that help to commercialise new technology, community ownership, create local employment and reduce CO2 levels.
To learn how Scotland can connect your energy business needs to these abundant resources, exceptional experience, outstanding locations, unique capabilities and unrivalled support,
Please visit www.sdi.co.uk or call +44 (0) 141 228 2828 or email investment@scotent.co.uk