Renewable energy chiefs warn that Scotland may miss green electricity generation target

The SNP has today (9 Dec 2015) highlighted new evidence which suggests that Westminster decisions could put at risk the Scottish Government’s renewable energy targets and efforts to tackle climate change.

Written evidence to Holyrood’s Energy and Enterprise Committee from Scottish Renewables states that the early closure of the Renewables Obligation and delays to the allocation of Contracts for Difference at Westminster mean that Scotland ‘could miss the target of generating 100% of the equivalent annual demand for power.”

SNP MSP Dennis Robertson – who is Deputy Convenor of the Scottish Parliament’s Energy and Enterprise Committee –  commented: “This evidence confirms the risk to Scotland’s renewables industry and our ambitious climate change targets from the UK Government decision to end vital support for renewables.  

“These cuts are nothing less than an ideological attack on a key growth sector by a Prime Minister intent on playing up to the Tory backbenches. 

“Just this week the Scottish Government was praised for its commitment to low carbon technologies by the head of Spanish energy company Iberdrola <which owns Scottish Power> who said it was setting an ‘example to the world’

 “The UK Government must see sense and abandon its misguided and anti-business plan to slash support for our important renewable energy sector – if it does not people can only conclude that it’s tough talk on climate change in Paris is nothing more than empty rhetoric.

“Scotland has the potential to lead the world on clean, green energy – and for the Tory government to stand in the way of our progress for their own ideological reasons shows that they are simply incapable of representing Scotland’s interests.”

Meanwhile, the National Grid has opened the UK’s second capacity market auction to seek electricity generator bids to provide secure extra capacity for 2019-20.

The auction acts like an energy guarantee by making sure there is enough capacity available to meet peak electricity demand.

The auction is open to generators (new and existing plants), demand side response providers and interconnectors supplying electricity from mainland Europe.

Andrea Leadsom, MP, Junior UK Energy Minister, commented: “This is the first auction in which interconnectors are eligible to participate – increasing the competitive pressure on the auction clearing price and helping to ensure that security of supply is delivered at least cost to consumers.”