Energy secretary heads to Japan to seek renewables investment

Gray will spend three days in Tokyo and Osaka this week as he meets existing investors and seeks new business links.

25th Apr 2023

The Scottish Government’s energy secretary Neil Gray is travelling to Japan for a trade visit to encourage further investment in renewables.

Gray will spend three days in Tokyo and Osaka this week as he meets existing investors and seeks new business links.

He will emphasise the potential in Scotland’s offshore wind, hydrogen and low-carbon heat sectors.

At the COP26 summit in 2021, Scottish Enterprise signed an agreement with the Marubeni Corporation to explore opportunities for floating windfarms and green hydrogen.

Another Japanese company, Mitsubishi, is already an investor in a Moray Firth offshore windfarm.

Ahead of the visit, Gray said: “Scotland’s extensive renewables capabilities are already recognised globally.

“Projects in the pipeline for this coming decade hold enormous opportunities to create new manufacturing and supply chain opportunities as we deliver a net-zero economy.

“From the development of ScotWind, which commits developers to investing more than £27bn in Scotland’s supply chain, to the expansion of our hydrogen sector, we want to grasp the chance of further inward investment to secure our just transition to net zero.

“My aim for this visit is to take further, tangible steps to realise the economic benefits of Scotland’s position as a renewables powerhouse.

“Developing inward investment opportunities will unlock the opportunities the global renewables revolution presents.”