WGPlus (Archive)
| Editorial Comment: Why should rUK build Scotland’s infrastructure |
|
‘The UK Government must recognise the vital importance of island renewables to the UK energy market’, Paul Wheelhouse said ahead of talks with his UK counterpart in Stornoway. Discussions will focus on the UK Government’s recent consultation which back-tracked on support for wind projects on the Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland. The development of proposed major projects alone would trigger initial investment of £2.5bn. “Our position on island wind is both consistent and very clear – we must do all we can to enable our island communities to benefit from this substantial resource, large enough to meet 5% of total UK electricity demand, provide significant boost to decarbonising our electricity supply, and would be worth up to £725m to local economies’. Why, one wonders, should the rUK pay the majority of a £2.5bn cost to build an infrastructure asset in Scotland, when it is the ScotGov’s announced (one presumes) aim to claim ownership of that asset (and others) within 5 years with IndyRef2? Perhaps we should put a blanket ban on any such investments unless ScotGov signs a legal agreement that it will not hold an IndyRef2 for at least the next 20 years (a reasonable ‘lifetime’) as per their agreement signed prior to the first referendum. But then, given the SNP’s record on promises to abide by referendum results, could rUK (or Scottish voters) trust them to honour it? |
| Researched Links: |
|
ScotGov: Support for island wind PC&PE: EU Referendum: Government actions led to public distrust FDA: Civil servants are used to impartiality - but referendum promises need proper resources Editorial Commentary: Is the SNP threat of another Referendum realistic? |
