Story · Energy map · about 2 min
Scotland's offshore wind: what's turning, and what's coming
Crown Estate Scotland leases the seabed for offshore wind, years before a single turbine turns. Its own records show both what is already generating and what has already been signed away for the future.
11 wind farms already turning
11 offshore wind farms are already operational in Scottish waters, with 4,304 MW of capacity between them.
39,896 MW already leased
A further 36 sites are already leased and working through planning, pre-planning or construction: 39,896 MW of capacity, about 9 times what is operating today. Most of it is still years from generating anything.
Berwick Bank Wind Farm: 4,100 MW
The biggest single site is Berwick Bank Wind Farm, at 4,100 MW and consented: on its own about as much capacity as every wind farm operating in Scottish waters today. The next four biggest are all still in planning, so the order of the largest sites can still change.
A leasing decision is not a power station
A site being leased does not guarantee it gets built: planning, grid connection and finance can all still stop a project. This map shows what has been signed for.
For classrooms and curious minds
Questions to talk about, alone or in a group.
- Why does a lease not mean a wind farm will be built?
- What has to happen between a seabed lease and electricity reaching homes?
Try it on the map: Compare the sites already operating with those still in planning. Where are the new ones in relation to the old?
The figures above are calculated from the datasets listed on Data & sources and are approximate: many map layers are modelled or interpolated. Read each layer’s caveats on the map.