Colin Palmer has been appointed to lead the development of offshore renewable energy and aquaculture for the public body that manages leasing of Scotland’s seabed.
As Head of Marine, Palmer’s remit will also include carbon capture and storage, and cables and pipelines.
Crown Estate Scotland manages virtually all seabed out to 12 nautical miles – covering shellfish growing and fish farms, and cables and pipelines for telecommunications, and oil & gas – as well as the rights to renewable energy and gas storage out to 200 nautical miles.
“Scotland’s seas are hugely important to our economy and our environment so joining the organization that manages seabed leasing, and a team that has real depth and breadth of expertise, is an incredibly exciting prospect,” said Palmer.
Crown Estate Scotland Chief Executive – Simon Hodge – added: “As we develop our long-term approach to managing seabed, coastline and land for the benefit of businesses and communities across Scotland, Colin’s appointment further strengthens our ability to contribute to a ‘Blue Economy’ boom for Scotland.”
The Crown Estate Scotland team is currently developing a new leasing round for offshore wind to allow more projects to be built late 2020s onwards, and also manage around 750 finfish farm leases and a program of R&D to improve sustainability in aquaculture.