Scotland and New Jersey Form Offshore Wind Bond

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Governor of New Jersey Phil Murphy have signed a joint agreement to tackle climate change, with a specific focus on offshore wind.

Scotland and New Jersey have set ambitious climate and clean energy targets, recognising the importance of decarbonising the energy sector and in particular the role of offshore wind.

“As New Jersey progresses on the path to 100 percent clean energy, we are grateful to partner with Scotland to tackle the issue of climate change head on,’‘ Governor Murphy said.

“Scotland has a world-class offshore wind industry and we are looking forward to learning from them as we establish offshore wind farms in our state.”

Scotland is seen as a leader in offshore wind innovation – hosting the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult and the world’s first floating offshore wind farm. New Jersey has made strides with its offshore wind initiative and has established a goal of 3,500MW of offshore wind energy by 2030.

The two administrations have agreed to share experience and best practices on tackling climate change, work with like-minded countries, states and regions to increase ambition on climate change, and promote business and economic opportunities created by the transition to a low carbon economy

First Minister Sturgeon previously signed an agreement with the Governor of California which has led to the sharing of expertise and development around offshore wind, wave and tidal energy.

The First Minister also announced the appointment of Barry Logue as the new Renewables Specialist for the East Coast of North America, which Opportunity North East and Scottish Development International are co-funding.

The new role focuses on building connections for Scotland in the renewables sector in North America, identifying commercial opportunities in the supply chain and supporting Scottish companies to compete and win business in this emerging market.