In this blog published by Energy Voice, Alistair says recent events show how we need to up the pace to deliver a low-carbon, indigenous and secure energy supply that can tackle every part of the energy trilemma.
The last six months or so have really emphasised the importance of every part of the energy 'trilemma'.
First, the world came together to address the climate crisis in November at
Then, last month, Ofgem announced a
And in recent days we have tragically seen war break out in
All this has led some to question whether the pursuit of net zero is the right thing to do against this backdrop, asking whether we can afford it. My answer is that we can't afford not to. Low-carbon, indigenous energy supplies are the solution, not the problem, and can tackle every part of the trilemma. And the
The
The recent ScotWind seabed leasing round has shown the size of the prize is even greater, with nearly 25GW of potential offshore wind capacity awarded, well beyond what any of us in the industry expected. We were delighted to have been successful with our partners
The current timescale to develop and deploy offshore wind currently averages nearly 10 years. That simply isn't fast enough in the face of a climate emergency.
It's clear there is ample opportunity for the
The current timescale to develop and deploy offshore wind currently averages nearly 10 years. That simply isn't fast enough in the face of a climate emergency.
We can't underestimate the size of the challenge and the barriers which need to be overcome if we're to accelerate the scale and pace of growth. Developers face increasing planning consent challenges in areas including environmental impact, aviation, and fishing. Timely grid connections to deliver projects by the end of the decade are difficult to secure.
In
CfD auction in part due to the higher costs to many Scottish projects from the restrictive TNUoS charging regime.
Significant efforts are already being made to find a path through these issues, but we need to go further and faster.
We need governments to go harder and faster in taking the action needed to meet, and even exceed, the ambitious targets we have set.
At SSE we are committed to accelerating our investment into renewables, including offshore wind, with a goal to double our existing renewables installed capacity to 8GW by 2026 and treble it by 2031.
We're building more offshore wind than any other company in the world, right here in the
But to do so, and for everyone to share in these benefits, we need governments to go harder and faster in taking the action needed to meet, and dare I say even exceed, the ambitious targets we have set. We're ready to work in a spirit of cooperation, transparency and mutual respect with all stakeholders to find solutions and ensure offshore wind can play its critical part in our net zero future.
Contact:
Tel: 0800 048 3516
Email: transmission.commercial@sse.com
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