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Minister for Energy comments

Energy Minister Fergus Ewing said:

“Today’s announcement falls short in several vital respects.

“Firstly Scotland’s islands are rich in renewable energy resources and I am deeply concerned about the island proposals. We have always said that we need a levels of support that works for all of the islands – yet from today’s announcement it is clear that the UK Government has not listened to the demands of developers or the Scottish Government on this matter. While the provision of dedicated support represents progress, the UK Government continues to ignore their own research which points to the need for different levels of support across the three main island groups.

“For months, and in many letters and meetings, the Scottish Government has been making the case for a better deal for the islands in the UK Energy Bill. I will seek urgent discussions with Treasury Ministers including Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander about these important issues.

“Whilst I welcome the modest concessions made to the offshore sector I am concerned that Scotland and the UK are forfeiting the opportunity to develop this industry – thus losing out on jobs and investment. However, the UK’s ambitions for offshore wind, wave and tidal are still pitched too low, and the risk remains that this support will not be sufficient to build capacity in the supply chain and attract the necessary levels of inward investment to Scotland.

“I also welcome that following our representations there is increased support for hydro power.

“The UK Government’s continued enthusiasm for new nuclear, underlined by today’s announcement about the proposed development at Wylfa Newydd on Anglesey, is particularly striking – because we now know that onshore wind will be cheaper to support over the coming years than nuclear power.

“Scotland remains a hugely attractive place to invest in and develop renewables projects. We continue to believe that as much of our huge resource as possible should be developed – as long as projects are suitably located – and that Scotland continues to play a vital role in helping the UK meet its binding targets and ensuring secure, sustainable supplies of power.”