 Rwy'n ni gydag i feithio psychologicalig sy'n gweithio'r ystafell a'i cefnwyr a'n ddod ein holl gaffrwng o'r tynfodd nesaf ar gyfer y rhain ac i sefyllwyr, ac rydw i'r campus. Y ddyn nhw ymddylayol yn ddod maen nhw Michael Matheson. Y ddod ylliann yn rhaid i wneud yr ystafell am gwell o ran ffaguarad. Mae cyfnodd dddorol yn ddorol am y dyfodol, ac mae hynny chi'n gweithio'r cyfnodd oer a ddiogelwch oedd yn rhaid i hynny. Gw tas yn erbyn yn unigion i ddamogwadau a'r oud yn yr astrwng gfigur gan Gweinidol, ar gyfer ynglynch gwbwyr, yn unigion i Gweinidol. Oes gwybodaeth fyddwn i techa, i ddim yn ymddangos, yn ymddangos i Gweinidol i gweinidol, i gyrwch ei fod yn ymddangos i gweinidol, gynnwch ei gwaith o fath fydd yn wahanol i gweinidol. there is a huge economic prize on offer, at least £1 billion of investment for every gigawatt built, which will help to create thousands of jobs, to transform the Scottish economy. This is the first offshore wind leasing round, held since the devolution of the Scottish Crown estate and has been administered by Crown Estate Scotland, who announced winning applicants yesterday. Scotland was created with delivery at its core. It was established with the aim of creating a strong pipeline of projects that would drive or just transition and serve as a cornerstone in delivering our commitment to tackle the climate crisis. We put this challenge to the market and the market has responded so positively that Crown Estate Scotland has been able to offer awards for 17 major projects. That is a tremendous vote of confidence in Scotland. The levels of ambition shown by the market recognise the seriousness of Scotland's commitment to achieving our net zero targets and sustainable economic growth. In particular, Scotland is by far the world's largest commercial round for floating offshore wind and breaks new ground in putting large-scale floating wind technology on the map at gigawatt scale. That is encouraging to see the ambition that has been set out by the provision of floating offshore wind. As you may be aware, our seabed is considerably deeper than waters in England and Wales and without technology such as floating wind, it would not be possible to develop renewable energy projects in those areas. It is therefore inspiring to see the tremendous rate of innovation in this technology and what more could be possible 10 to 15 years from now in this fast-moving growing sector. Likewise, many of the consortia are successful in securing lease options, having ambitions for green hydrogen. That presents a range of new energy and export opportunities for Scotland and will help us to achieve our ambition of generating 5 gigawatts of renewable and low-carbon hydrogen by 2030 and at least 25 gigawatts by 2045. We will be considering those opportunities and what that will mean for our energy system further in our energy strategy and just transition plan later this year. Scotland will also deliver around £700 million in revenue to the public purse for those initial awards alone. We have already made clear that we will invest from those monies to help to tackle the twin climate and biodiversity crisis. However, in addition to those revenues, Scotland promises to deliver billions more in rental revenues once projects become operational to be invested for the benefit of the people of Scotland. Importantly, Scotland promises to be transformational in delivering wider economic supply chain benefits to help power Scotland's green recovery, the length and breadth of the country. As part of the bidding process, all applicants had to submit a supply chain development statement outlining how they will deliver benefits to Scotland. I welcome the commitment made by developers to invest at least £1 billion in the Scottish supply chain for every gigawatt generated via Scotland projects. The supply chain development statement, a mechanism that was developed through engagement with the Parliament, provides us with an excellent tool to ensure that, working with the sector, Scottish communities reap the maximum possible economic benefit from Scotland projects. Those statements are not only an indication of what Scotland can achieve, but they are our expectation of what the winners will deliver for Scotland. We must now work together to ensure that that happens. As highlighted in the strategic infrastructure assessment for offshore wind, which was commissioned by the Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council, there needs to be greater collaboration between developers, the supply chain and the public sector both to help to focus activity and investment in Scottish ports and to help Scottish suppliers to grow and win offshore wind work. We work closely with SOEC to implement the five key recommendations in the strategic infrastructure assessment, starting with the creation of a Scottish floating offshore wind port cluster, with ports acting in partnership to provide the required infrastructure area and capability needed to attract manufacturers to invest in Scotland. To help to achieve that, SOEC is leading on the development of a collaborative framework to encourage the sector to come together and work collectively to support the delivery of offshore wind projects from Scotland, with a focus on growing capability and expertise, particularly around the growth of floating offshore wind. We fully support the creation of the collaborative framework and we expect the successful Scotland projects to actively engage in this process from the outset and to take collective action not only to grow Scotland's supply chain but also to help to deliver the wider economic transformation that will benefit communities across Scotland. To that end, the scale of the winning bid's augers well for creating the volume of sustained demand that will mark a step change in developing the capability and capacity of Scotland's infrastructure and its manufacturing and service sector. We are at the start of a journey that will take some years before we see these developments constructed, as well as supply chain opportunities that the focus now switches to the planning and consenting regimes, ensuring that those work as effectively as possible as we process applications from developers and the potential that can be delivered in light of environmental and other impacts. Clearly, the stated collective aspiration of the projects that have been awarded options are highly ambitious and this is to be welcomed. Scotland will make Scotland a global leader in offshore wind energy and all the consortia holding options are fully aware of the responsibilities that come with the development opportunities that they have won. However, Scotland will also be shaped by our continuing commitment to responsible stewardship of our incredibly rich natural marine resources. As well as the need to fully understand impact on other marine users. We work with sectors and with all-affected stakeholders to ensure that this process and its benefits are realised in a manner that recognises the concerns of all interests as we embark on this journey. It is not possible at this stage to predict what scale of development will be permitted, but, through our internationally recognised sexual marine planning and licensing process, there is an established pathway to facilitate development. By following due process, taking into account all-state corridors and consideration about impact, the Scottish Government can maximise the huge opportunities for energy, for the environment and for the economy that the large-scale development of offshore wind can bring to Scotland. These wind awards are a phenomenal mark of confidence in the Scottish offshore wind sector. We are now the biggest offshore wind market in the world and demonstrating global leadership in tackling the climate challenge. However, the real work starts now. Tomorrow, the First Minister and I will hold a summit with all the successful parties. It will be clear in stating our expectations to all involved. I will also meet successful developers both collectively and individually on an on-going basis to understand how we can work together in a collaborative manner to deliver the best for Scotland. In addition, the Minister for Environment and Land Reform is meeting today and tomorrow with marine environmental interests and with fishers to ensure that their perspectives and concerns are taken into account. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity, which has to be realised, maximised and to deliver the environmental and economic benefits for all the people of Scotland. The cabinet secretary will now take questions on the issues raised in his statement. I intend to allow around 20 minutes for questions, after which time we will move on to the next line of business. It would be helpful if those members who wish to ask a question were to press the request-to-speak buttons now. Scottish Conservatives welcome the announcements on Scotland as we look to drive the UK forward in our collective ambitions to achieve net zero. What is particularly notable is that what we might call big oil is that the forefront of this drive towards renewable energy. Indeed, of the £700 million that is expected to be raised, it is paying nearly £240 million. BP has set Aberdeen as its Global Ops and Maintenance Centre of Excellence for Offshore Wind. Total Energy has reckoned that the west of Orkney could deliver a renewable power to hydrogen power to the flutter hydrogen hub, but this is an industry much maligned by many who failed to see the pivotal role it would play and took positions that could discourage investment and forward planning. What diligence has been done on the successful bidders to ensure that they can deliver and that they have sufficiently strong balance sheets to deliver that £700 million? There is a supply chain. It is not lost on me as a north-east representative that 70 per cent of successful bids are within 100 miles of Aberdeen. Given that only once agreements are officially signed will the details of the supply chain commitments in the supply chain development statements be published, how will the Scottish Government ensure maximum benefit to our local and UK supply chains and ensure jobs manufacturing in the like remain in the UK? Crown Estate Scotland's website says that capital from sales is reinvested in new opportunities to strengthen the value and revenue earnings of the estate. What happens to the £700 million that is raised? Whose budget does it augment and for what purposes can it be used? I am grateful to the member for welcoming the outcome from Scotland and for recognising the huge economic opportunity that it creates. He makes reference to the oil and gas sector, a number of those who have secured lease options are major oil and gas companies. That is to be welcomed. This is oil and gas companies making the transition out of hydrocarbons into renewable energy. That is exactly what the Scottish Government has been encouraging them to do. That is exactly the engagement that I have been having with them. It is all about helping to make sure that the transition from a hydrocarbon-based economy in Scotland and the north-east of Scotland in particular is one that ensures that those who are in the oil and gas industry have an opportunity to move into a renewable sector. Therefore, the success of some of those oil and gas companies is to be welcomed on the basis that allows staff within their organisations to make that transition and to utilise the very considerable skills that our oil and gas sector has, particularly in the sub-sea sector, which will be really important in helping to support the development of some of those projects. That is a positive and welcome step that is being taken. In relation to the member's reference to due diligence on the basis on the ability of those organisations to secure those particular lease options, it is worth keeping in mind that at this stage it is a lease option. It still has to get consent and planning for the development to take place. I am sure that the member will recognise that, in order to achieve that consent, it will have to go through the financial disclosure process in order to secure that. It is too early in this stage to say what is the balance here of it. However, if you look through the list of those companies who have secured lease options through Scotland, they are all companies who are internationally operating in that particular field and committed to investing in the renewable sector, including those in the oil and gas sector. In his final point on the £700 million that we have made, it is clear that that is money that will come into the Scottish Extractor, funding that we will then use in part to help to support our net zero ambitions, and we will then consider how we utilise that across the rest of the Scottish block grant. It is worth keeping in mind that there has been some incorrect commentary over the course of the past 24 hours, where people think that the £700 million is it. There is not the case. There is an on-going annual rental payment that comes in from those who go on to start producing electricity from those developments. That in itself will bring in a further £1 billion over many years while the projects are operating. This money, again, will help to benefit the whole of Scotland. The need in a journey to net zero to fulfil Scotland's huge potential offshore wind energy is clear. The award of those licences is an opportunity for the Scottish economy and Scottish jobs, but this time it must not be squandered. History has shown us that if developers can go elsewhere, they will go elsewhere. Just weeks ago, the Government sunk plans for a publicly owned Scottish energy fund. Scotland's seabeds are now being franchised entirely to private overseas, owned by big multinationals and investment funds. I move. I hear welcomed by the Tories. It will raise around £700 million for the public purse, but billions more for firms none of which are registered in Scotland or owned in Scotland. It is not just a case of off-shore wind energy, but of-shore the profits from it. It cannot also mean off-shore the jobs. The Government's record on green jobs is not good. It promised £130,000 a year, but it has delivered less than a fifth. Given that supply chain commitments from bidders that remain unpublished were excluded from the auction, tender and assessment process and the penalties for failing to deliver developer statements are negligible, can the cabinet secretary tell us what binding action will be taken to ensure that the bulk of the work, not the crumbs, remains here in Scotland? Surely the cabinet secretary knows what percentage of the work will be carried out in Scotland for the benefit of Scottish jobs? The member will recognise that the supply chain development statement was a process that was developed in consultation with the Parliament, given experience in the past. I accept that we have not achieved the level and scale of inward investment and supply chain development in a renewable sector that we would have wanted to. That is why it is absolutely critical that we maximise the potential benefits from this particular Scotland lease-in-round. It is worth just pointing out that this is the first Scotland lease-in-round. There is an opportunity for further Scotland lease-in-round in the years ahead. I assure the member that we will do everything that we can to ensure that those who have stated in their supply chain development statements the level of investment that they will make in the Scottish supply chain, which I have stated, works out at roughly £1 billion for every gigawatt that comes on stream, that that is delivered. That is our expectation for that to be delivered. The process that we have in place, through the strategic infrastructure assessment and the collaborative framework that has been developed, is all about maximising that opportunity in doing so in a way that ensures that we reap the economic and social benefits that can come from such a significant level of financial investment in the Scottish supply chain. We will do everything that we can to ensure that it is delivered on the commitment set out in those statements. I give a bit of latitude to front-benchers, but we do not have the same opportunity for everybody else, otherwise we will simply not get everybody in. This announcement unlocks certainty for the developers, operators and the supply chain. Huge investment creates thousands of jobs. I want to ask now that we have that certainty how we will ensure a smooth transition for those working in the high-carbon sectors, like oil and gas, who want their future to be in renewables. As I mentioned earlier, one of the outcomes from the Scotland round has been the number of oil and gas companies that have moved into the renewable sector. There is an opportunity for those who are employed presently in high-carbon, intensive industries to be able to transition into the renewable sector. It is important that we make sure that we maximise the skills and knowledge within the oil and gas sector in supporting that transition and the build-out of the projects that have secured leasing options through Scotland. I can assure the member that we want to make sure that there is a just transition for those in the oil and gas sector and that Scotland provides a pathway for us to help to secure that achievement. There is a risk that Scotland loses out here. The projects that are coming through Scotland, which I welcome, are mostly larger than 1 gigawatt, which is a big challenge for the Scottish supply chain unless there is an opportunity to develop and scale up local capabilities, particularly in the north-east. However, Scottish innovation projects are currently limited by a 100 megawatt cap compared with 300 megawatts for England and Welsh projects. Will the cabinet secretary lift the cap on innovation projects within the intog planning process, increasing their competitiveness compared to the 300 megawatt projects available to come forward in the Celtic Sea and providing a vital opportunity for the supply chain to work up its capabilities in advance of Scotland? The member raises an interesting point, although I think that he is missing one of the key risks from what he has just asked. The reason that the intog is capped at the 100 megawatts is to help to support innovation in the sector in order to scale up in support in the decarbonisation of oil and gas, but also to help to prevent it from starting to impact on the Scotland development rounds because of the danger of overdevelopment in some areas. Therefore, by raising it to 300 megawatts, it potentially compromises Scotland and its developments. That is one of the reasons why it has been capped at the 100 megawatts and why it is different from the approach that has been taken in England and Wales. As I say, its key purpose is to drive innovation in the sector. Those who are involved in the innovation side of the sector are very supportive of the levels in which we have set the cap at. Yesterday's welcome announcement will mean that the waters around the western Isles will contribute substantially to Scotland's journey to net zero and present vital economic opportunities. I ask the cabinet secretary what benefits the western Isles can expect to see from Scotland in terms of community benefit and supply chain opportunities, and how will the Government ensure that partners like the local authority are fully involved? Alasdair Allen raises an important point for his constituency and the potential benefits that there can be for the developments taking place off the coast of his western Isles in his constituency. I assure the member that we are keen to ensure that all parts of Scotland, including his constituency, have the opportunity to benefit from the investment that will be made in the domestic supply chain in order to help and support the roll-out of the Scotland projects. I am aware that, for example, in Stornoway there is a deep port development that is planned for there, which could play an important part in helping to support the industry with its build-out. However, I can assure him that we will be looking to work with all stakeholders to make sure that we maximise the economic and social benefits that can come from the build-out of those projects, including in his constituency. Those sites could generate upwards of £6 billion for those international firms, which will pay just £700 million for 10 years' rights to do so. So what does the Scottish Government assess, the payback period and the net present value to those corporations for those projects? Does that represent good value for money for the Scottish taxpayer, or are the profits simply being blown offshore? We have had an open option process that has attracted interest from global companies to invest in offshore renewables here in Scotland. I hope that the member would welcome the commitments that they have made to potentially invest £25 billion into the Scottish supply chain, with the potential for a further £10 billion to be invested in the Scottish supply chain. That is good for the Scottish economy and for Scottish communities as well. In relation to his wider point, I suspect that he is making reference to the fact that it should all be just Scottish or UK-based businesses, or that it should all be in public control, if we only had those powers in order to do so within the energy sector itself. His colleague incorrectly made reference to the Scottish energy company, which was a retail company, not a production company, because we do not have the capacity or the ability to be able to do so or the powers to be able to do so. I do not know whether the member is now saying that we should nationalise energy, because, as leader in London said, no, that is not their policy. However, we want to make sure that we secure the economic benefits of Scotland, and that is exactly what the supply chain development plans were all about doing. I hope that the member will be able to find it himself to welcome such a significant investment in the Scottish economy. It is hugely welcome that Scotland will deliver such substantial revenues to the public purse, but, for the sake of clarity, can I ask the cabinet secretary to provide any further assurance to my constituents that those revenues will be invested for the long term to support our transition to net zero? We are given consideration as to how that funding will be deployed. One of the things that we have committed to doing is to make sure that it helps to support us in achieving our net zero ambitions and to tackle both the climate and biodiversity crisis. However, we also want to make sure that we use this funding in a way that allows us to have a legacy that can benefit all of Scotland and all communities in Scotland, and to make sure that we capitalise on it in a way that has a long-term benefit to every part of Scotland. Thank you. Scotland represents a sea change in realising Scotland's wind potential. It also underlines the importance of our islands, along with the forefront of renewables, innovation and delivering our net zero ambitions. Following on from the responses to Alasdair Allan earlier, the cabinet secretary gave assurances that, rather than a top-down approach, local communities will indeed have control of the decisions about the way in which those funds are invested. What assurances can he give about the involvement of other stakeholders, notably the fishing industry, in shaping how each development is now taken forward? The guiding light on any of those developments is the sectoral marine plan, which takes into account the consenting process and how any stakeholder should feed into that process. I can assure the member that those within the fishing community that want to make representations in relation to any development will be able to do so through the normal consenting process. Those voices and views will be taken into account through the normal process for considering those issues. On how the funding will be utilised, I am sure that the member will recognise the very significant amount of funding that that brings into the Scottish Government, and what we need to do is to make sure that we utilise that funding in a way that ensures that all of Scotland gets the benefit of that, including coastal communities such as his constituency. I can assure him that we will consider that very carefully and ensure that we utilise the funding in a way that maximises the benefits to all parts of the country, including in his constituency. Scotland does open up the vast range of opportunities to maximise them for the benefit of our economy and, socially, is something that we can all agree on. Can the cabinet secretary indicate any updates that he may have about Ferguson Marine and Port Glasgow becoming the shipyard to benefit from the ships that are required to ask for the BPO alternative energy investments bid? We recognise that, in some of the bidding process, there have been those stakeholders who have been engaging with the range of Scottish supply chain companies. We will certainly be making sure that they are taking forward the commitments that are set out in their supply chain statements, including those that might be looking at the building of vessels here in Scotland. I am no doubt that the member will want to engage with those companies who have made commitments to businesses based on his constituency, businesses that are highly valued in his constituency and provide a lot of employment within his constituency, to ensure that the tier 1 companies that have secured lease options live up to the commitments that they have set out within their supply statement within their bids. The cabinet secretary seems to accept that the SNP did not deliver on their economic promise of making Scotland into the Saudi Arabia of wind power and did not deliver on the thousands of jobs that they promised, green jobs that they promised. The cabinet secretary told Liam Kerr and Colin Smith that the Government would do everything that it can to ensure that we see onshore supply chain development and local manufacturing content, and the jobs that everyone is talking about. What exactly does the cabinet secretary mean when he says that the Government will do everything that we can? I refer members to my register of interests. The member seems to have quite a short-term memory issue. He made a call that one of the reasons as to why there was a sudden halt is a significant level of wind development, energy development in Scotland, was because of the UK Government's decision to cut the subsidy to supporting the industry, which resulted in a massive downturn within the sector alone. No doubt the member will be wanting to make sure that in the CFD process, which I am sure he is aware of, the CFD process, which the UK Government is responsible for, it holds up the commitments that it has made to ensure that it helps to support the supply chain development. That is why, for the first time in the UK, we have required, through a leasing round, the supply chain development statements. The purpose behind that is to ensure that we do not make the errors that the UK Government did who were responsible for the last leasing round, where they made no requirements upon the industry. I assure the member that we will be doing everything that we can to deliver on those commitments. We will not repeat the mistakes of his colleagues at Westminster in mismanaging Scotland's oil and gas reserves and its renewable energy reserves, as it has done for many, many decades. Unlike Mr Kerr, I found yesterday's statement absolutely breathtaking. The scale of investment, the scale of increase in renewable energy capacity and the scale of jobs that are going to come to our communities. Any young person seeing that announcement yesterday would have been inspired as well. Of course, it is important that we also tackle the nature emergency alongside the climate emergency. What lessons can be learned from the previous offshore consenting rounds to ensure that burden marine life will be protected? We have a very robust consenting process that requires that any proposed project has a very detailed environmental impact assessment and a wider impact assessment on any marine environment linked to the development. That process will be applied in all those particular proposed developments. We need to make sure that we look to maximise the potential economic benefits of Scotland and recognise the potential environmental impact that those developments can have. That is where the sectoral marine plan is guiding light in those matters. It is the process that will be used in order to make sure that those projects are properly assessed and that any mitigations that need to be put in place or whether it is not appropriate for development to take place at the scale of the ambition that was set out by developers is that we have a consenting process that takes all those matters into account prior to making any decision on it, including the importance of protecting what is our precious natural environment and ensuring that it is not degraded further as a result of those developments. This is an enormous opportunity for Scotland. Can the cabinet secretary confirm the three main aims of the Scotland leasing round to move quickly to deployment from licensing, to secure supply chain jobs for Scottish companies and to optimise the auction and revenue payments for the taxpayer that have been achieved? In terms of Scottish supply chain jobs, in particular, when will details of the opportunities be public and what powers does the Scottish Government have to ensure that licences deliver on the proposal for Scottish jobs? The member is correct in those three areas. We have moved quickly with Scotland. I can assure the member that we are adding additional resources to the consenting process in order to help to make sure that we have the capacity and capability to deal with the scale of those potential bids. She rightly points out as well about the supply chain statements and the benefits that that will drive for the domestic supply chain here in Scotland, which is hugely welcome and will be transformative in terms of our green energy sector. In the financial elements, it is very clear from the outcome from Scotland that there are significant financial benefits, not only in the leasing options and in the rental provision, but also in the investment that will go into our domestic supply chain, which I believe will be transformational in the years ahead. I would hope that everyone across the chamber would support that and get behind the success of the Scotland bidding process. Thank you, cabinet secretary. That concludes the statement, and we will now move on to the next item of business.