Adrian Gillespie: No time to dilly-dally when opportunities are blowing through

Some of the biggest future economic opportunities will be from developing a globally competitive industry based on our renewable and low-carbon energy resources. Our strengths in the sector range from wave and tidal resources to the development of clean technologies, but offshore wind offers the most immediate opportunity to transform Scotland's economy.

More than 25 per cent of all Europe's wind resource crosses the Scottish mainland and its surrounding areas. The scale and nature of the offshore wind opportunity is vast, with the UK boasting the capacity to generate more than 48 Gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2020, making it the world's number one market for offshore wind.

These strengths, coupled with the Scottish Government's challenging targets (50 per cent of our electricity generated from renewable sources by 2020) puts Scotland in pole position to become a global hub for offshore wind development. Developers from all over the world have been drawn to Scotland but we must move quickly to maximise our share of the market.

The Scottish Government is working with the industry to develop the Offshore Wind Route Map, which will identify a number of issues that need to be addressed both by the public and private sectors if we are to unlock our offshore wind potential. A number of priority areas require an immediate focus: supplier development, essential infrastructure, inward investment, innovation, funding, planning consents, grid capacity and skills are all critical to establishing a world-class offshore wind industry. We boast a large competitive advantage in many of these areas, but gaps exist and it is imperative that we build on our edge.

Significant opportunities exist across each of the four main elements of the supply chain – design, build, operation and decommissioning. Currently, about 65 companies in Scotland supply the offshore wind industry, but many more boast the essential skills and expertise to maximise Scotland's offshore potential.

A rich history in the oil and gas and engineering sectors means we have the health and safety expertise as well as the support vessels and port infrastructure to provide operations and maintenance.

Infrastructure development is an obvious fundamental to the successful attraction of potential investors. The publication of the Scottish National Renewable Infrastructure Plan earlier this year was a major first step in identifying locations which offered the biggest potential for developers to base their manufacturing operations.

The next stage of the plan, to be completed next month, will develop robust propositions and focus on investment opportunities that will help us to accelerate infrastructure development at the identified sites.

If Scotland is to make the most of this opportunity, we must be quick to put in place the necessary funding and support. The economic prize is considerable, opportunities are imminent and Scottish Enterprise is committed to expediting Scotland's progress in cementing its position as a world leader in offshore wind development.

Adrian Gillespie is senior director, energy and low carbon technologies, Scottish Enterprise and speaks at The Scotsman Conferences: Can The Green Economy Deliver for Scotland? on 24 May.