The Scottish government (United Kingdom) has announced that after a careful analysis it has decided to increase its offshore wind ambition of 8 to 11 GW by 2030 to up to 40 GW by 2035-2040 (Scottish Government press release, 28/01/2026). The new ambition is in addition to the already operational or consented capacity (as of August 2025) and is expected to represent a clearer and more realistic timescale for the development of the projects.
Scotland also reiterated its commitment towards the existing pipeline, including ScotWind and INTOG projects. It also announced that no further offshore wind leasing rounds are planned in the near term and that the delivery will depend on the UK’s Government and agencies contributing to ensure a supportive policy and investment environment.
The United Kingdom seeks to reach up to 50 GW of clean energy from offshore wind deployed by 2030. At the end of 2024, the country had an offshore wind capacity of over 16 GW.