15061621Edited by DavidT.100019281layer_information_pageund1576597120175406251900175406251956<div>The Sectoral Marine Plan identifies&nbsp;sustainable plan options for the future development of commercial-scale offshore wind energy in Scotland, including deep water wind technologies and covers both Scottish inshore and offshore waters.</div> <div>The Plan seeks to contribute to the achievement of Scottish and UK energy and climate change policy objectives and targets, through the provision of a spatial strategy to inform the seabed leasing process for commercial offshore wind energy in Scottish waters, which:</div> <ul> <li>minimises the potential adverse effects on other marine users, economic sectors and the environment resulting from further commercial-scale offshore wind development; and</li> <li>maximises opportunities for economic development, investment and employment in Scotland, by identifying new opportunities for commercial scale offshore wind development, including deeper water wind technologies.</li> </ul> <div>The draft Plan Options&nbsp;provide the spatial footprint for this ScotWind Leasing round, managed by Crown Estate Scotland.</div> <div>A draft updated Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy (SMP-OWE) was published in 2025, which presents an updated planning framework for ScotWind sites as a result of the Iterative Plan Review process established in the SMP-OWE (2020). Scottish Ministers concluded, as part of the Iterative Plan Review, that the SMP-OWE needed to be updated and re-assessed following the ScotWind leasing award by Crown Estate Scotland. Click for <a href="https://www.gov.scot/publications/draft-updated-sectoral-marine-plan-offshore-wind-energy-2025/pages/1/">more information on the draft updated Plan</a>.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> filtered_html<p>The Sectoral Marine Plan identifies sustainable plan options for the future development of commercial-scale offshore wind energy in Scotland, including deep water wind technologies and covers both Scottish inshore and offshore waters.</p> <p>The Plan seeks to contribute to the achievement of Scottish and UK energy and climate change policy objectives and targets, through the provision of a spatial strategy to inform the seabed leasing process for commercial offshore wind energy in Scottish waters, which:</p> <ul> <li>minimises the potential adverse effects on other marine users, economic sectors and the environment resulting from further commercial-scale offshore wind development; and</li> <li>maximises opportunities for economic development, investment and employment in Scotland, by identifying new opportunities for commercial scale offshore wind development, including deeper water wind technologies.</li> </ul> <p>The draft Plan Options provide the spatial footprint for this ScotWind Leasing round, managed by Crown Estate Scotland.</p> <p>A draft updated Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy (SMP-OWE) was published in 2025, which presents an updated planning framework for ScotWind sites as a result of the Iterative Plan Review process established in the SMP-OWE (2020). Scottish Ministers concluded, as part of the Iterative Plan Review, that the SMP-OWE needed to be updated and re-assessed following the ScotWind leasing award by Crown Estate Scotland. Click for <a href="https://www.gov.scot/publications/draft-updated-sectoral-marine-plan-offshore-wind-energy-2025/pages/1/">more information on the draft updated Plan</a>. </p> <p> </p> 47<p>The Plan Options ("PO") were derived through an iterative analysis of opportunity and constraint in Scottish waters.&nbsp; A constraint model was produced by combining multiple spatial features together in a weighted model to identify higher and lower levels of constraint on the development of offshore wind.&nbsp; Areas of Search features were then drawn into the model.&nbsp; Once Areas of Search are selected to progress in the planning process they became DPOs and were assessed under a Sustainability Appraisal.&nbsp; The results of that Sustainability Appraisal and the draft Sectoral Marine Plan were published for consultation between 18 December and 25 March 2020.&nbsp; The consultation responses have helped inform the selection of the Final Plan Options.</p> <p>The draft updated SMP-OWE (2025)&nbsp;defines refined Option Areas (OAs) within the spatial constraints of the Plan Options (POs) identified in the SMP-OWE 2020 and the Areas of Search (AoS) identified in the INTOG IPF, in order to reflect the outcome of the ScotWind and INTOG leasing rounds.</p> filtered_html<p>The Plan Options ("PO") were derived through an iterative analysis of opportunity and constraint in Scottish waters.  A constraint model was produced by combining multiple spatial features together in a weighted model to identify higher and lower levels of constraint on the development of offshore wind.  Areas of Search features were then drawn into the model.  Once Areas of Search are selected to progress in the planning process they became DPOs and were assessed under a Sustainability Appraisal.  The results of that Sustainability Appraisal and the draft Sectoral Marine Plan were published for consultation between 18 December and 25 March 2020.  The consultation responses have helped inform the selection of the Final Plan Options.</p> <p>The draft updated SMP-OWE (2025) defines refined Option Areas (OAs) within the spatial constraints of the Plan Options (POs) identified in the SMP-OWE 2020 and the Areas of Search (AoS) identified in the INTOG IPF, in order to reflect the outcome of the ScotWind and INTOG leasing rounds.</p> 206552660420654194082164sioc:Itemfoaf:Documentdc:datedc:createdxsd:dateTimedate_iso8601dc:modifiedxsd:dateTimedate_iso8601content:encodedsioc:has_creatorrelfoaf:namesioc:num_repliesxsd:integersioc:last_activity_datexsd:dateTimedate_iso8601https://marine.gov.scot/?q=information/sectoral-marine-plan-offshore-wind-energy-plan-optionsDrew0a:5:{s:16:"ckeditor_default";s:1:"t";s:20:"ckeditor_show_toggle";s:1:"t";s:14:"ckeditor_width";s:4:"100%";s:13:"ckeditor_lang";s:2:"en";s:18:"ckeditor_auto_lang";s:1:"t";}15652715061619281draftpublished56175406251911175406251915652715061619281draftpublished56175406251911175406251915652715061619281draftpublished561754062519111754062519