Europe's Second Strategic Energy Review recognises that, to meet EU energy targets for 2020 and beyond, significant investment is needed in both research and development and key infrastructure projects. Furthermore, to help realise Scotland's ambition to become the Green Energy Capital of Europe and to realise the 20:20:20 objectives, we need to operate much more on the European stage. Central to Scotland's activity on this will be the new Scottish European Green Energy Centre, the development of which is a sign of Scotland's determination and recognition of our skills and expertise.

Following the First Minister's announcement of the establishment of the Centre in Aberdeen on 22 February 2008, work to set up the centre has been ongoing. The centre will open in August 2009 and will play a catalytic role in the development of green energy, through its work in Scotland and with partners across Europe. The key functions of the Centre will be to support the development of joint projects in green energy research and deployment; the EU-wide dissemination of results of existing and new projects; helping create EU wide partnerships with industry towards commercialisation; and obtaining funding for these activities through EU programmes. It will work in parallel with and complement the work of the Energy Technology Partnership http://www.etp-scotland.ac.uk/, bringing together the energy skills across Scotland's universities.

SEGEC has set a number of short to medium term objectives, which are to:

• Form an alliance of Atlantic partners to raise the importance of marine and tidal energy research and development;
• Promote offshore wind development and deployment;
• Promote long distance supergrid development and smart distribution grids;
• Develop partnerships on key policy priorities such as carbon capture and storage and renewable heat; and
• Lead work on tackling policy and administrative barriers to the deployment of renewable energies.

For more information, please visit the Scottish Government's European Energy Policy webpages.