Arup has been appointed by Crown Estate Scotland as specialist reviewers for ScotWind Leasing - the first offshore wind leasing round in Scotland for a decade.

Arup will work together with the estate to finalise the approach to evaluating applications from developers, advising on the process by which developer applications are assessed and option agreements allocated to successful bidders. 

In addition, Arup will be part of the team of reviewers which will evaluate individual applications together with Crown Estate Scotland.

The offshore wind leasing round is the first to be launched by Crown Estate Scotland and will seek to attract investment to Scotland to help reduce national carbon emissions and enable wider socio-economic benefits for communities. 

The leasing round will aim to provide a significant contribution to Scotland's efforts in achieving its 2045 net-zero emissions target.

Clare Lavelle, head of energy consultancy, Arup, said: “How we collaborate with our clients enabling the scale up and roll out of offshore wind is a significant opportunity for the Scottish and UK energy markets to innovate and progress towards deep decarbonisation of our energy system. 

“Working with the Crown Estate Scotland on its first leasing round will have a significant impact on Scotland's ability to become a net-zero emissions economy by 2045. We have a proven track record supporting offshore wind projects in Scotland, the UK and globally and we’re committed to helping the industry innovate and progress alongside Crown Estate Scotland.”

John Robertson, head of energy & infrastructure at Crown Estate Scotland said: “We are committed to helping enable Scotland’s ambition to achieve a net-zero emissions target by 2045 through our role as manager of Scotland’s seabed. ScotWind Leasing will provide certainty and clarity for those seeking to lease seabed for new offshore wind farms in Scottish Waters, encouraging low-carbon generation, and we look forward to working with Arup as we deliver a robust and transparent leasing process.”

Crown Estate Scotland plays a critical role in the development of offshore wind. As well as awarding and managing leases they support developers through pre-planning and consenting to construction, and work with industry to tackle environmental and technical issues, reduce costs and build investor confidence.