The UK has fallen behind Morocco to become the 14th most attractive country for renewable energy investment, according to top accountancy firm EY – who blame the EU referendum result and Tory energy policies for the decline.
The UK and Poland are the only European countries to fall in EY’s global renewable energy country attractiveness index, with France, Belgium, Sweden, Ireland, Norway and Finland all climbing the rankings.
As the Scottish Parliament prepares to debate the impact of the British vote in favour of Independence from the EU-bloc on the environment, EY said that “uncertainty caused by Brexit, the closure of the Department of Energy & Climate Change and the approval of Hinkley Point C all dealt a sizeable blow to the UK renewables sector.”
Commenting, SNP MSP Gillian Martin (Aiberdeenshire East), said: “This is just the latest evidence that the Tories’ hard-headed and ideological opposition to green energy is undermining an industry with huge potential in Scotland – and Theresa May’s determination to pursue a hard-right Tory Brexit is making things worse.
“Scotland has the potential to be a world leader in renewables, which could provide us with skilled jobs and secure energy for generations.
“We deserve better than the short-sighted economic vandalism inflicted on our industry by a UK Government more interested in playing to the base instincts of their braying backbenchers than doing the right thing for the country.”
See also Scottish Energy News 26 Oct 2016:
Britain falls to record-low in 14th place (behind Morocco) in world Top 20 renewable energy investor-attractive nations
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