I have noted with considerable interest the announcement last week by the Secretary of State for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform of his proposals to enable the potential development of up to 33 Gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2020. I share Minister Hutton's belief in the vast potential for renewable energy in these islands, and we also share a clear determination to play our national roles in meeting the EU target of 20% renewable energy by 2020. I will be meeting my UK colleagues in the near future. Our respective ambitious plans to radically develop renewable energy sources will be top of the agenda.
I am committed to accelerated growth of renewable energy sources. The range of measures already in place to incentivise and support that growth will continue to be enhanced and developed. Ocean Energy, Solar Energy and Offshore Wind all have major potential and the Energy Policy Framework and the Programme for Government are committed to their development through incentivisation and systematically addressing the technical challenges. I will be working with all the stakeholders and the renewable energy industry, including the offshore wind sector, in the coming months to put in place the necessary frameworks to meet the challenges and opportunities for renewable technologies in the short to medium term.
