 The final item of business is a member's business debate on motion 1, 4, 4, 6, 6, in the name of Lewis MacDonald. On offshore wind week 2018, the debate will be concluded without any questions being put. We can ask those members who wish to speak in the debate to press their request to speak buttons down. I call on Lewis MacDonald to open the debate. Mr MacDonald, please. Thank you very much. Like any designated week, offshore wind week offers an opportunity to recognise what has been achieved so far to celebrate the vision of the pioneers and to set out ambitious targets for the future. I have been able to see a close hand the growth of this sector over the last 15 years. Scotland's oldest offshore wind farm is a cross-border project in the Salway Firth at RobinRig, and I was the minister who consented the Scottish part of that project in 2003, one well-known to my colleague Colin Smyth. At much the same time, Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group launched the first blueprint for an offshore wind farm in Aberdeen Bay, a scheme that came to fruition this year with the installation of the world's largest wind turbines within sight of Aberdeen Beach. We should celebrate the vision and drive of all the early pioneers around our coasts from the Salway Firth to the Murray Firth, but I want to pay a particular tribute to the vision of Arag's early leaders and to the support that they have continued to receive over the last 16 years from Aberdeen City Council and other local partners. Five founder members of Arag got together to celebrate recently. Ian Todd, David Roger, Jeremy Creswell, John Black and Morrig McOrkinville told the Press and Journal that their eventual success was down to dogged perseverance and sheer bloody mindedness. That is sometimes what it takes, and Arag's vision of offshore wind, as part of Aberdeen's long-term transition from North Sea oil to a low-carbon economy, was and still is something worth fighting for. We need to have the same vision and ambition today. Scotland now has a committed offshore wind capacity of 4.2 gigawatts, up and running or under construction or consented and awaiting development. A further 1.2 gigawatts are in the consenting process. That is good, but it is only scratching the surface of Scotland's offshore wind potential. With a UK target of 30 gigawatts and a European Union target of 74 gigawatts by 2030, we should be looking to deliver a higher proportion of both those capacities than simply five or six gigawatts by the mid-2020s. Our targets for offshore wind should reflect our share of the potential resource relative to the rest of Britain and the rest of Europe, rather than settling for just a bit more than is already in the pipeline. 10 gigawatts of offshore wind in Scottish waters by 2030 would be a stretching but unachievable target. Of course, it cannot be all about wind. Intermittency is a real issue. New technologies for energy storage, demand management and new interconnectors need to be part of the future picture as well. Offshore wind is a renewable technology that works at scale, which is innovating right now in Scottish waters and which is steadily falling in price. It is already contributing to carbon reduction, and it can help to reduce fuel poverty as well over time. The largest wind turbines in Aberdeen Bay are the most productive in the world, yet their suction bucket jacket foundations meant that they were installed quickly and quietly this summer in a matter of only hours. Also in the north-east, Equinor's high-wind development off Peterhead is pioneering floating wind, a technology capturing energy from places where other renewable technologies cannot go or at least cannot yet go. Concardin floating offshore wind farm of Stonehaven is already following suit and is planned to be the largest of its kind in the world. Within innovative technologies, an increasing scale goes also falling costs. The strike price for offshore wind in 2017 was half what it had been in 2015. The sector is moving towards a subsidy-free market, but Scotland will only retain and increase its market share if it continues to foster innovation and if further growth continues to enjoy support from government at every level. Crown estate Scotland and Marine Scotland have been consulting on which areas of the seabed to lease for future offshore wind farms. This Scottish consultation has focused on deeper water suitable for floating wind turbines, whereas, in England, by contrast, the Crown estate is promoting development in both deep and shadow waters. While it is right to seek to promote the newest technologies, we must not lose out also on those that are already well-established or closer to market. I hope that the minister will urge Crown Estate Scotland to broaden its area of search, to support innovation when it fits the foundation of offshore wind as well as floating wind, and so it enables Scotland to reach for more ambitious targets in the short to medium term. Of course. Thank you, Presiding Officer. As the member will know, I am the convener of the RMT's parliamentary group. Whilst we celebrate offshore wind week and agree with the comments that the member has made, I wonder if he would agree with the quote from the RMT, which says that it is scandalous that the development of a sustainable energy source is based on deeply regressive and exploitative immigration and employment practices. I wonder if the member would comment on those practices. Lewis MacDonald Elaine Smith is certainly right to say that there have been some examples of exactly what she describes and those are not the way forward for the sector. I would agree with her and indeed with the RMT that we need to ensure that the development of this sector protects those who work in it as well as looking to reduce carbon emissions and reduce price for consumers as well. However, the economic benefits of renewable energy are already significant. There are 2,000 jobs in Scotland, there are 11,000 in Britain as a whole and UK content of projects is forecast to rise from one third to one half of the value in offshore wind farms by 2020. Scotland can do even better though and joining up the supply chains of all our offshore energy sectors would be a good place to start. Opeto, for example, has been doing offshore safety training in the North Sea for many years and their qualifications are recognised worldwide in the oil and gas sector. They are not yet however recognised in offshore wind. Mutual recognition between the two sectors would allow workers to move between them to the benefit both of employers and of those who are already working in the North Sea. 40 years of extracting hydrocarbons have also given Scotland a high concentration of offshore expertise, which can be applied directly by future generations in capturing energy from offshore wind. In subsea engineering and offshore project management, for example, Scotland is a world leader. The oil and gas technology centre in Aberdeen is also more widely an offshore energy innovation centre funding research and development, which will be of direct or indirect benefit to offshore wind. Today, Clare Perry confirmed in the House of Commons that a sector deal for offshore wind is nearly concluded and will include commitments from operators to increased UK content. That is welcome. I hope that the Scottish ministers will press for coherence between any sector deals that come forward for oil and gas and that for offshore wind to support cross-sectoral working and to support the companies and individuals who work in and between both sectors. We should be ambitious for growth in offshore wind, for more and properly paid jobs for offshore workers and seafarers, supply chain opportunities for Scottish ports and industries, cheaper power for our consumers and environmental benefits for future generations. I believe that if we are ambitious that we know from our energy past that we can succeed and secure a sustainable energy future. Thank you. Open debate. I call David Torrance. I would first like to congratulate Lewis MacDonald on securing this debate today on the important role of offshore wind and the contributions that it has made to reducing our renewable energy targets, reducing our carbon footprint and strengthening our economy. As we are all well aware, Scotland has been a global leader in renewable energy for years. In 2017, Scotland secured more than 68.1 per cent of its electricity from the renewable energy schemes. Our renewable energy industry grew 26 per cent and we now produce 25 per cent of renewable energy used across the UK. Since Scotland's first commercial scale offshore wind farm, Robin Rigg, was opened in 2010, we have built up enough offshore wind energy capacity to power more than 1.6 million homes. That means that offshore wind energy now accounts for more than half of the installed renewable generation capacity in Scotland. Since 2011, the number of community-owned renewable energy projects in Scotland has increased by 62 per cent, which means that 456 communities are now benefiting local winds, solar, heat pump and biomass projects across the country. From a national level to local communities, Scotland has consistently shown its support for sustainable future and its strength in the renewable energy sector. By 2030, it is predicted that the UK's wind capacity will double and that a fifth to a third of that new energy will come from offshore wind power. Not only is this cheaper than many of renewable alternatives, but offshore wind is also more reliable and efficient than onshore wind due to constant and steady speed and pressure of wind at sea. According to a survey put out by Scottish Renewables in 2016, there were 16,000 full-time and equivalent employees in the renewable energy sector in Scotland. Additionally, our energy sector has spent decades' development expertise in creating infrastructure to extract oil from an off-sea groups such as Briggs marina and environmental services, which have a 40-year experience in marine energy generation from our environmental research to oil spill response, but with £210 billion to be invested in the European offshore wind sector between 2016 and 2025, we now have a moral obligation and economic incentive to use the eyes of this knowledge and technology to support the growing offshore wind energy sector. Over the years, my constituency has repeatedly shown its commitment to offshore energy. For example, we have a home to a seven-megawatt leaving-mouth demonstrating turbine, which is the world's largest open access offshore wind turbine, dedicated to research and training. For example, Fife Energy Park gives companies early access to offshore energy markets in the north sea and allows us to use to take advantage of the fact that nearly 25 per cent of Europe's offshore wind resources passes over Scotland's seas. One of Energy Park's current occupancies has been telling the fabrication, a world leader in developing deep water substructures used for offshore wind projects. Not only is BiFab a global essential contributor to the offshore supply chain, it is also key to creating highly skilled jobs necessary to attract young people to the region, to increase wages in the most deprived areas and to create additional jobs as the demand for local services rises. Scottish offshore wind manufacturers will have to be competitive in order to win contracts to ensure funding and projects jobs in years to come. That will require increasing investment in staff training and infrastructure to compete with European firms. In the near future, it will be important to follow the resulting contract terms of agreements deals such as BiFab with BidFord and Mare East project, as it will set a precedent for all big offshore wind projects in the future. Sustained support for our renewable sector is absolutely essential to the health of the Scottish economy. The offshore wind energy continues to be the most cost-effective investment that will support our coastal communities. Additionally, that commitment will create a range of new opportunities for future energy developments. As power generation capacity grows, we will not only be able to meet Scotland's electricity needs but should also start supporting technology that will allow us to decarbonise other areas of society. Strong offshore wind energy infrastructure will allow us to further support research of organisations such as Fife hydrogen office. We are working to develop hydrogen-powered fuel cells that can capture energy generated by wind turbines at night and use the stored energy to power vehicles from cars to shipping freight to create the first hydrogen district heating system, or organisations such as Fife Renewable Innovation Centre, which has been leading the way in attracting investment and creating jobs within the renewable energy sector. I simply ask that recognition of offshore wind week that the chamber reaffirm its commitment to the sector, ensure that we are prepared to meet increased manufacturing demand, and to call on the UK Government to uphold its promise of long-term support for offshore wind to foster investor confidence and to maintain our leading position in this field. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I also thank Lewis MacDonald for bringing this debate to Parliament in offshore wind week. I echo his recognition of Areg and all the good work that they have done over many years. It comes as no surprise that support is given by every party across the chamber for this motion, considering the excellent contribution that the offshore wind industry has been making to Scotland. Scottish Renewables reported that Scotland is the continent's windiest country and with Scotland taking in 25 per cent of Europe's offshore wind resource, it is great to see business take advantage of our natural resources in an environmentally friendly way. As a constituency MSP from the north-east, I have also had the pleasure to visit Wattenfoll's European offshore wind deployment centre off the coast of Aberdeen, and anyone who has seen it will marvel at the impressive scale of his project. The turbines are so powerful that developers have said that a single rotation of its blades could power an average UK home for a day. It is not the only success story that we have been hearing about this year. Just last month, I submitted a motion congratulating King Cardin offshore wind farm limited on generating power from its first turbine, and what it believes will be the world's largest floating offshore wind farm. I thank Lewis Macdonald for recognising this achievement in his motion. Offshore wind has been a fantastic boost to the energy industry in Scotland, creating over 2,000 jobs, bringing 1.8 billion gross value to the United Kingdom, which is expected to rise to £2.9 billion by 2030. The potential for supply chains to the offshore industry is huge. With a floating offshore wind farm such as Highwind, it is able to generate renewable energy in previously difficult locations. A recent report by the ORE catapult noted that with the right support, we could see up to 17,000 jobs and an additional £33.6 billion added to the British economy. That would be a fantastic boost to the Scottish economy and would only solidify Scotland's position as a global leader in offshore wind. As a country, we must do all we can to move to clean energy, and offshore wind has been a great step towards achieving our goal. The Scottish Conservatives are committed to maintaining the success and global leadership, particularly as offshore wind is playing a big part in helping to decarbonise the energy supply across Scotland and the UK. With a cost of offshore wind falling by nearly 30 per cent in the past four years, it is proving that it is a viable and sustainable part of our energy mix. Scottish Renewables reported that the offshore wind industry has actually beaten the price targets set by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy of £85 per megawatt hour by 2026. The Murray East offshore wind farm, due to be commissioned from after 2020, will mark the first time that renewable electricity has been generated at a price equivalent to conventional gas. It is important that we continue to strive to meet Scotland's energy needs and climate change commitments. The Scottish Conservatives are keen to see an evidence-based approach to the mix of renewables across Scotland and diversity, so that we are not dependent on one kind of generation. Offshore wind has helped us to move towards a better energy mix across the country. I look forward to working with companies across Scotland in building their offshore wind farms and hope that we continue to see the industry thrive. I thank my colleague Lewis MacDonald for bringing this debate to the chamber and to Scottish Renewables for organising offshore wind week. It is fantastic to celebrate this industry. Fifteen years since planning permission was first granted for an offshore wind farm at Robin Rigg off the coast of my region of South Scotland. I recently visited Aberdeen and was fascinated to see the giant turbine blades resting in Aberdeen harbour waiting to go out to sea. They were magnificent and, to me, are a grand symbol of progression and sustainability. The progress of the offshore wind sector since 2003 is indeed remarkable and a true Scottish success story, as Scottish renewables put it. It delivers one of the cheapest forms of electricity generation, which means a direct relationship between the cost of the generation and the end-bill for consumers. Prices per megawatt have beaten Westminster targets, as we heard from Alasdair Burnett, and, vitally, it is a boon to Scotland's coastal communities. It is those communities that can be most vulnerable to the effects of climate change and coastal erosion and whose economies have been asked to transition first. The expansion of the industry means that those with marine engineering skills experience can shift to highly skilled employment opportunities, a growing network of supply chain jobs, and those associated socioeconomic opportunities can only strengthen those communities. However, it is somewhat disappointing that the Scottish Government's transition training fund—I understand from the RMT—has only enabled half those who have applied as applicants in the shift from oil and gas to renewables to transfer to the training scheme successfully. I hope that the minister might be able to comment on that in his closing remarks. However, let's be positive. 2,000 people are currently employed in the sector, and new technologies and innovation suggest that the number could well rise. Floating wind, for example, is a chance for Scotland to be a world leader if appropriately fostered, and, as we have already heard, the chance for up to 17,000 jobs by 2050, according to the report by ORE Catapult. It shifts like this from a more traditional finite energy industry to the renewable sector that demonstrates the absolute necessity of a just transition commission. For as long as our economy is transitioning, there should be a commission. I will continue to press for that to be set out in statute in the climate change bill. Offshore wind will play a central role in Scotland's future—industrial future—and that transition must be equitable for coastal communities and workers involved. It is a fantastic example of how political enthusiasm can drive an industry forward. It was the UK and Scottish Labour Governments who demonstrated an early commitment to the offshore wind industry, the fruits of which can be seen today, and it is the meeting point of environmental protection and economic development, a source of innovation that increases competition and lifts the economy, as well as bettering our chances against climate change. As this Parliament takes any decision towards our net zero economy, we should turn our minds to the offshore wind triumph and celebrate it. Scottish Labour is supportive of a publicly-owned offshore wind energy company to regain control of the energy supply and transition to a publicly-owned decentralized energy system. It holds great potential to speed up deployment, capture jobs and value for the Scottish public while reducing energy bills for consumers. Of Scotland's total offshore wind sector, I would like to highlight that just 30 per cent is owned by public entities, which is a good news story. However, those are not Scottish and UK entities. Although, to the pity, those opportunities are at the present outside Scotland, it is an inspiration that such a significant percentage is public. Scotland can be proud to hold the title of Europe's windiest country, and it is right that this abundant natural resource should be used for the public good. I thank you for your time and I look forward to the minister's closing remarks. Thank you very much. Mark Ruskell, followed by Liam McArthur and Mr Ruskell, please. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I thank Lewis Macdonald for bringing forward this motion. His chamber has debated many motions over the years about offshore wind. Mr Macdonald reminds us of the private bill back in 2003 under the Labour-Liberal-Democrat Government, which, of course, enabled Robin Rigg to be planted in the soul way. I also think that he's right to pay tribute to the pioneers of the Aberdeen renewable energy group, that gang of five, who are such strong champions. I've met many of them myself at renewables conferences over the years. Such passion, such professionalism has really driven the confidence in offshore wind, and we pay tribute to them tonight. However, the rate of commercial progress in these last few years has been simply breathtaking. We still have a quarter of Europe's wind resource, but the cost of harvesting it has dramatically fallen from around £150 a megawatt in 2014 to just over £57 last year, absolutely smashing Westminster's target of £85 eight years early. The moment when it was announced that the cost of offshore wind had fallen below that of gas was another tipping point in our energy transition and real testament to the innovation that has been developed across the supply chain. We are witnessing such blistering progress, and the prospect of floating wind as another widespread commercial technology developed in Scotland is very exciting. Orcatapult's analysis of both the domestic generation potential from floating wind, combined with the potential export market, paints a very healthy picture for the economy in some of our most deprived coastal communities. Unlike David Torrance, I want to see Fife at the heart of the forthcoming sector deal on offshore wind, because the skills and expertise are there in the communities. We have great graduates coming through Fife College at Recife with all the skills, operations and maintenance work. We have skilled engineers and workers with all the passion, professionalism and integrity needed to make companies like BiFab a success, but we also need the pipeline of projects to come through to kickstart the order books for BiFab and many other Fife businesses that depend on it. The physical assets have to be fit for the work as well. Scottish Enterprise needs to help to bring the yards up to standard, working with BiFab's owners to deliver the facilities that it needs to be globally competitive. The prize is great, because if we can double the domestic content of UK offshore wind farms from a third to two thirds in the next decade, we can realise nearly £3 billion of gross value added for every single gigawatt that we install. That is real jobs and livelihoods if we can capture just a fraction of that benefit for Fife communities. We need certainty and progress in that pipeline of projects in terms of both government support and critically planning. I will confess that it really pained me to see the legal challenges laid against the outer first-of-fourth wind farms at such a critical point in our energy transition and fight against climate change. At the same time, we cannot wish away the pressures on protected seabirds and marine mammals. They are very real, and European laws are there to defend species that are on the brink of extinction. We need to learn the lessons from those legal challenges, which were initially upheld on issues of process. Disclosing data and allowing the review of it early on by all bodies, including NGOs, in the planning process, is important. Our natural heritage is our shared treasure, so its state and health should not be concealed under commercial sensitivity. We must enter into decisions with eyes fully open. The need for this due process must also be reflected in whatever environmental governance arrangements we end up with after march. The future has arrived, offshore wind has arrived, but let's harness its tremendous power to transform with wisdom and care. I thank Lewis MacDonald for bringing this debate, and I also recognise his long-standing interest in and support for not just the offshore wind sector, but across the energy sphere. It is appropriate, as others have said, that in this offshore wind week that we have this debate to, again, restate the support across the chamber for the development of the sector. As a number has already observed, that is a real success story. It is a success story in terms of meeting our ambitions, the environment and reducing emissions. It is a success story in terms of our economy, in developing jobs and wealth creation. It is also, importantly, a success story in our efforts to combat the scourge of fuel poverty. For all those reasons, it is absolutely appropriate that we should be taking this opportunity to celebrate that success, dating back to Robyn Rigg and I will recall from my time in the Scottish Executive Lewis MacDonald's involvement in that. It was also a process that was pushing back the boundaries of how we regulate in this environment and in a cross-border context. Since then, we have seen success story after success story, with Beatrice, with Vattenfall. However, it would also be a mistake to assume that all of this was inevitable, that the effort that has gone into achieving that success should not be undervalued just because of the progress that will be seen over that time. It is right that we acknowledge some of the pioneers behind that, but they would be the first to admit that the contribution that they have made rested very heavily on those that they had around them supporting their efforts all along the way. Where do we go from here? It is absolutely right, as Lewis MacDonald suggested, that we make sure that we build on that success by being equally ambitious going forward. We can set those ambitious targets for ourselves based on some of what we have seen in terms of the plummeting costs and the improving competitiveness of this sector. The innovation that we are already seeing moving not just from the fixed bottom developments but from the floating developments where, again, through high wind and others, Scotland is leading the way. I am playing to our strengths, which is ultimately where any economic or industrial strategy is best founded—our strengths in terms of our wind resource. As others have observed, 25 per cent of the offshore wind capability across Western Europe is the skills base that we already have. The academic research that is underpinned at all of those suggests that the success that we have seen in the past is success that we can aspire to replicate going forward. As we look ahead, in the slightly nearer term, I am conscious that tomorrow we will be dealing with stage 3 of the Crown Estate Bill. Tomorrow afternoon, Lewis MacDonald has already put a picture for encouraging Crown Estate Scotland to be slightly more supportive in terms of the environment and the role that it has to play in that future success of offshore wind. I will make a plea for ensuring that, in terms of community benefits for both our island and our coastal communities, the offshore sector will have to demonstrate what it is able to contribute in that respect. However, the aspirations of something subsidy free also puts me in mind of the lunacy of having marine renewables such as tidal and wave competing directly with offshore wind for future support. It is absolutely right that we continue to support our offshore wind sector into the next phase of its development, but we risk choking off at birth technologies such as tidal and wave if we put them up in competition with offshore wind. I congratulate Lewis MacDonald again for allowing the debate to take place and enabling this Parliament to underscore our collective support for the future success of the offshore wind sector. The call is to Stevenson, followed by Maurice Golden and Mr Golden will be the last speaker in the open debate. Let me start by declaring that I am a shareholder in Scottish and Southern Energy and in the Boindie Wind Farm Cooperative Ltd, which is a wind farm very close to where I stay. Of course, this is an excellent opportunity, thanks to Lewis MacDonald to celebrate offshore wind week 2018. The contribution that it makes to our economy, the contribution that it makes to employment in local communities and, of course, the contribution that it makes to the climate change agenda. It was only a couple of years ago when the French Republic's President Francois Oland offered his plea to work together against climate change. The time has passed when humankind thought that it could selfishly draw on exhaustible resources. We now know that the world is not a commodity. With Scotland, as we have heard, being the windiest place in Europe, we have something that shows no sign of being an exhaustible resource. The development of offshore wind has been a terrific contribution to the climate change agenda, as well as everything else. Of course, I have two particular things. Where I stay, I only have to go a few hundred metres to the east. At night, I can look out over the Murray Firth and see the Beatrice wind turbines that were put up as the first trials in the area. More significantly, the high wind offshore development, the floating off Peterhead, which has been referred to by a number of members and referenced in the motion. That is truly ground-breaking and water-breaking technology. It opens the door to deployment of that technology in shallow coastal areas around the world. Of course, offshore wind is not particularly new. I know that, next to the Orison bridge between Denmark and Sweden, there has been a wind farm there for quite a considerable period of time. However, the high wind technology and the technologies that we are seeing developed off our coasts are much higher capacity, much higher outputs, partly because of developments in China and the use of rare earths and new magnets to increase what can come from ahead. I visited a local firm in Peterhead in the last couple of weeks called Survivetech. They are one of many firms that are developing new technologies. In their case, they are developing an escape technology for people who are up at the top of one of those wind turbines. Flash-over fires can happen in a matter of seconds, so they have developed a very rapid escape technology, and I wish them extremely well. They certainly deserve to get to wide market acceptance, but they will not be alone in exploiting the opportunities that come from having those sources of offshore wind close to some of our communities. Of course, there are service vessels that will be going out to service them. A number of the harbours in my constituency at Fraserborough, Peterhead and indeed at Bucky look forward to opportunities to service them. I understand that, if you go to a cave nest that WIC 2 would look to get it's share of the business, and we will see how that develops, because healthy competition between those harbours is not at all a bad thing. Of course, the First Minister was up and visited the Highland Farm pilot project underlines the potential of Scotland's huge offshore wind resource. At the top of Government, it is recognised how important that is. I too wish it well and repeat my thanks to Lewis MacDonald for providing the opportunity for congratulating everyone who is involved in this, and more to the point those who will be in future. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and I congratulate Lewis MacDonald on securing this member's debate slot. There is agreement across the chamber that global warming and climate change are among the most pressing issues facing humanity. The recent IPCC report makes it clear that the duty to act is shared by all countries. For Scotland, a key component of fulfilling that duty will be to bring our abundant renewables resources to bear. It is more important than ever that we support the development of renewables in Scotland and, with Scotland estimated to have a quarter of the entire European potential, offshore wind must play a leading role. There is no better time to highlight that than this week, offshore wind week, when we celebrate both the successes of offshore wind and renewables in general. It is not just the raw resource that counts in Scotland's favour, though. As part of the United Kingdom, we have access to the wider UK energy market with all the benefits that that brings for future investment and expansion. Expand we have. It was not long ago, just 15 years in fact, that planning permission was granted for the first offshore wind farm in the Solway Firth. As today's motion mentions, since then the sector has grown rapidly, with a number of projects coming online, such as the High Wind Scotland development of Peterhead and Vattenfall's European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre in Aberdeen Bay. Perhaps more impressive yet, the concordant offshore floating wind farm off the coast of Stonehaven, which, when completed, is expected to be the world's largest floating wind farm. Those sort of milestones act as a clear sign of both ambition and level of success being realised in Scottish waters. This expansion has been seen across renewables in general in Scotland, with consistent support from both the Scottish and UK Governments fueling a renewables revolution that has seen the proportion of electricity generated from renewables jump from 38 per cent in 2014 to 68 per cent last year, the highest level of any part of the UK. One way in which we could utilise any excess electricity generated would be to construct an electric arc furnace for recycling steel, perhaps accessing the steel from the 471 oil and gas platforms in 10,000 kilometres of pipeline in the North Sea. We want to see Scotland maintain this edge and our world-leading reputation. I believe that, in addition to a solid environmental case, there is equally a solid economic case underpinning offshore wind. Costs have halved in recent years, down from a strike price of over £100 per megawatt hour to just around about £57 per megawatt hour, making offshore increasingly attractive as an investment and economically sustainable energy source. Now it is time to back the companies, the investors and the workers who will deliver the projects of tomorrow and the economic and environmental benefits that follow. A key component of that will be ensuring that we have adequate provisions of the shallow and deep water sites needed. As we look to 2030 and beyond, we must keep our sites on the prize of establishment in Scotland as not just the leading UK in offshore development but in Europe and the world. I thank Lewis MacDonald and others who have done for securing this motion and welcome the contributions today from members across the chamber. It is not always we can stand this chamber and say that we are all united in support of a particular issue or technology. It has been nice to be able to welcome speeches from Alexander Burnett and Morris Golden for once. It is a great opportunity today. Offshore wind week, hosted by Scottish Renewables and Renewable UK, marks an important series of events in the offshore wind calendar each year. I am bringing with it the recognition that this sector deserves. It is only right that we have had this debate in the chamber. It is very positive that we have unanimity of our views. Our commitment to offshore wind is outlined in Scotland's energy strategy, which was published last December, which sets out a vision for the future of energy in Scotland. That strategy in short sets two world-leading climate change targets for 2030, with the aim of meeting the equivalent of 50 per cent of energy for Scotland's heat transport and electricity consumption to be supplied from renewable sources and a 30 per cent increase in the productivity of energy use across the Scottish economy. The figure that Morris Golden identified with 68 per cent has actually been upgraded. There have been more recent figures confirmed at 69 per cent, so we have even higher achievement there than had been seen. However, we are now setting even more ambitious targets through the climate change bill that Rosanna Cunningham has laid in May and targets that will ensure that by 2050 Scotland is carbon neutral. Renewable and low-carbon solutions will, of course, remain one of our key priorities, and we will continue to champion and explore Scotland's huge renewable energy resource and its ability to meet our electricity needs and contribute to those significant targets. Last week, WWF reported that, in October of this year, wind turbines that are both onshore and offshore generated the equivalent of 98 per cent of Scotland's electricity demand, were enough to power nearly 5 million homes. It won't take many to understand that we have more than 2 million homes but not 5 million, so we are going very well there. On 27 of the 31 days, wind alone met more than 100 per cent of our electricity needs as a country, so that is a very positive story. However, those figures are testament to how reliable and consistent wind energy technology can now be and show why offshore wind will play such a vital role in our future energy system, particularly if we can combine with storage, which I think is a point that was made early on by Lewis MacDonald. He will know, as I will touch upon, that the project at High Wind Scotland has also got the charming land backwind project, which is combining battery technology with the turbines offshore at Peterhead. The UK is already leading the world in offshore wind. I would like to think that Scotland is playing a really important role in that, with more than 7 gigawatts currently in operational capacity. However, as members have said, there is still exciting growth potential for the sector in Scotland. In Scotland alone, we have granted planning permission for over 4 gigawatts of offshore wind. David Torrance was referring to the work that BiFab is doing. BiFab will contribute to the Beatrice offshore wind site, which is currently under construction in a 588 megawatt scheme. 35 understand, 35 of the 84 turbines are now installed. It is a tremendous success story. That alone will provide enough power for 450,000 homes. That shows the scale of potential that we are talking about. We are home to the world's first floating wind farm, the 30 megawatt High Wind Scotland project, located off Peterhead. I was pleased to join the First Minister in attending its formal opening. I know that a number of other members were there at that event to show their support. The second 50 megawatt Cincardinoff offshore wind site off the coast of Aberdeen is currently under construction. I welcome the positive remarks from members across the chamber about that project and, indeed, Mr Burnett's motion on that subject. Those projects were made possible by the Scottish Government when we used our executive power in 2013 to introduce the enhanced Scottish rock scheme. That is no longer available to us, but it has helped to bring on innovative projects to demonstrate the technology. We are now seeing exciting potential for floating offshore wind in particular. In September, I joined the First Minister at the opening of Vattenfall's European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre. I remember seeing Lucy MacDonald there, so we had a good catch-up about offshore wind there. I would certainly add my praise to the work of Arag as well. Morrig MacOrkindale is a force of nature, and her team has been really important in the development of that project. That project, as has been said, is one of the most powerful turbines in the world. Not only that, the project has also demonstrated innovation in the construction installation process with the innovative suction bucket foundations at the site, allowing the record of two hours and 40 minutes for the installation of the foundation, which is a fantastic achievement. We supported projects such as those because we recognise that continuous innovation and cost reduction in the sector will be key to maximising benefits for Scotland and the wider UK economy. That is why the Scottish Government has committed £2 million in innovation grant funding for offshore wind this financial year, split between the Carbon Trust, the offshore renewable energy catapult and the energy skills partnership. I was pleased to help to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the offshore wind accelerator in London last week. Every positive progress that they have made has made huge strides forward in terms of the cost reductions for offshore wind that we have all referred to in terms of the dimer trajectory, so I congratulate them for that. I am working closely with the Crown of States Scotland to deliver our sectoral marine plan that will guide future leasing rounds for commercial scale offshore wind sites in Scottish waters. Lewis MacDonald, Liam McArthur and others have referenced the work. We are trying to strike and pick up Mark Ruskell's point about the conservation of seabirds. We are trying to make sure that we bring forward a range of sites that cover both if possible shallow and deep water sites that will allow fixed and floating offshore wind projects to come forward. We need to make sure that we do that with respect for the environment. Clearly, we are taking feedback from a number of developers about sites that they believe should be in the sectoral marine plan. However, the aim is to bring forward something that can be accepted, and we can obviously get some momentum behind the development of the offshore wind sector, absolutely, if with your permission. Lewis MacDonald Thank you very much minister. I am pleased to hear what you are saying about bringing forward a balance of shallow and deep water. Will that involve a change in the areas of search when Crown Estate will move on to the next phase? Is that going to enable the mix that you have described? Lewis MacDonald Clearly, I cannot prejudge what the final version will produce, but we are clearly listening to those who are promoting different sites. We obviously have to take on board the considerations that Mark Ruskell has outlined in terms of the consideration of impact on ecology and particularly seabird populations. I would argue that climate change is probably the single biggest threat that those species face, and therefore we have a duty to try to address that, but I am aware that there obviously are concerns about the diversion of seabirds from their feeding routes. Clearly, we will hope to feed back. I would say to Lewis MacDonald and others that Crown Estate Scotland and Marine Scotland are very much working together on this and information sharing as they go along. However, the process is why we continue to engage with the UK Government to ensure that the supply chain of the Scottish supply chain and devolved powers to support the sector are reflected in the offshore wind deal proposal. I met Baris Brown last week, who is leading on the sector deal, and I also met Minister of State Claire Perry for a positive meeting to discuss a number of issues, but offshore floating wind and fixed bottom wind for very much areas that Ms Perry stressed her support for. Clearly, as others have indicated, we need to see the support mechanisms such as CFD reflect the additional costs that currently floating wind are facing. We would argue that that would be a positive opportunity when we see companies such as Equinor, who have developed the High Wind Scotland site, taking forward an innovative project in Norwegian waters in the oil and gas sector to provide project Tampenn, which will put offshore floating turbines between two oil and gas fields and significantly decarbonise the production of oil and gas by doing that. That is a good example of how sectors can work together. We are encouraging both the offshore wind sector deal team and the oil and gas sector deal team to work together as best they can. I met Trevor Garlich this morning on that very subject. Our transition to a low-carbon economy represents one of the Scotland's most significant opportunities for economic and industrial development. As others have said, Stuart Stevenson referenced that WIC is benefiting significantly from the Beatrice offshore wind site. I am pleased to say that Fraserboro, having now been selected as the O&M base for the Murray East site, will benefit significantly from that project. I was delighted to hear today the announcement of a £10 million deal between the Murray East offshore wind farm and the Port of Cromarty Firth that will see a number of storage facilities provided by the Port of our 18-month contract. That deal is not only a significant milestone in the delivery of the project, but the use of the port as a hub during construction will attract high-value jobs and investment to the local area, which I very much welcome. I look forward to seeing the progression of both the partnership and the O&M contract operation and maintenance contract awarded to Fraserboro Harbour by Murray East, which I announced during a visit there last month. The only gas expertise that I am conscious of time, Presiding Officer, gained through over 40 years' experience of operating in the North Sea, is helping us to overcome the engineering and innovation challenges that are faced in offshore wind in areas such as corrosion and maintenance activities. I am providing the skills that are necessary to transition to the renewable sector. I will come back to Claudia Beamish on the issue of the TTF, given time constraints, but we will continue to work closely with our enterprise agencies and other partners to maximise the economic benefit to the Scottish supply chain from renewable energy development in Scotland. The announcement of regular CFD auctions by Clare Perry in July is something that we had pushed for and are very much welcome because it provides much-needed visibility that gives supply chain companies the opportunity, the confidence to make strategic investments and meaningful collaborations that are required to compete both within the UK and internationally, as David Torrance has said. Presiding Officer, there has been a valuable debate. I know that members on all sides are focused on ensuring that in Scotland we maximise the economic opportunity arising from future deployment of offshore wind. I hope that members are assured that we are already taking steps necessary to prepare for the future of offshore wind through the scoping work that is done for the sectoral marine plan, our actions to drive forward innovation in the sector and our continued support for the Scottish supply chain. The future energy transition will bring many opportunities, Presiding Officer, but I hope that we can all agree that Scotland should remain at the forefront in renewable energy, including offshore wind. Thank you very much.