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Scotland’s Energy Strategy extends renewables to heat and transport

The government of Scotland has launched the country’s first Energy Strategy which, it says, will include a £20mn Energy Investment Fund that will build on the Renewable Energy Investment Fund, and a £60mn Low Carbon Innovation Fund to provide support for renewable and low carbon infrastructure. The new Strategy will strengthen the development of local energy, empower and protect consumers, and support climate change efforts while also tackling fuel poverty, says the Scottish government.

Published in December, the strategy has six strategic priorities, to:
  • promote consumer engagement and protect consumers from excessive costs;
  • champion Scotland’s renewable energy potential, creating new jobs and supply chain opportunities;
  • improve the energy efficiency of Scotland’s homes, buildings, industrial processes and manufacturing;
  • continue to support investment and innovation across the oil and gas sector, including decommissioning and carbon capture and storage (CCS);
  • ensure homes and businesses can continue to depend on secure, resilient and flexible energy supplies; and
  • empower communities by supporting innovative local energy systems and networks.

Business, Energy and Innovation Minister Paul Wheelhouse said: ‘Scotland has world class skills, expertise and knowledge, from the North Sea oil and gas industry to our academic institutions and smaller start-ups to our cutting edge low carbon technology. This strategy recognises and builds on our achievements to date and on Scotland’s capacity for innovation.’

Wheelhouse added that: ‘We are leading the way in promoting community and locally owned renewable energy – well ahead of the rest of the UK – as figures announced today demonstrate.’ New data from the Energy Saving Trust show a 12% increase in the level of community and locally owned renewable generating capacity operating in Scotland, which now sits at more than 660 MW.

Public consultation on a proposed publicly owned energy company is planned for 2018. The aim for this company is to support economic development and contribute to tackling fuel poverty, as well as to be run on a not-for-profit basis.

The new Strategy shows ‘huge ambition’, according to Scottish Renewables. The goal is for half of all energy – for heat, transport and electricity – to come from renewable sources by 2030. Other measures in the Strategy include setting out two ambitious scenarios for cutting carbon from Scotland’s energy system: one driven by greater electrification of heat and transport; the second based on hydrogen gas fuelling these sectors; and a requirement to almost double Scotland’s renewable electricity capacity (from 9.3 to 17 GW) by 2030.

Claire Mack, Chief Executive of Scottish Renewables, said: ‘For the first time, the Scottish government has set out a holistic plan for how we produce and use energy, breaking down the barriers between electricity, heat and transport. Of particular note is the 50% renewable energy target contained in the Strategy, which sends a strong signal to industry that renewables should take its place the heart of our economy.’

Mack continued: ‘Previous targets laid the foundation for the rapid growth of Scotland’s renewable energy industry – an industry which already employs 26,000 people, invests hundreds of millions of pounds every year and displaces the equivalent carbon emissions of our entire transport sector. This new target has the potential to do the same not just for the continued growth of our renewable electricity sector but also for heat and transport, where action to decarbonise is urgently needed.’ Renewables already provide enough power to deliver more than half of Scotland’s electricity demand.

Away from renewables, Edinburgh-based research group Scottish Carbon Capture & Storage (SCCS) and UK trade association Oil & Gas UK both welcomed support under the new Energy Strategy. 

News Item details


Journal title: Energy World

Countries: Scotland -

Subjects: Transport, Renewables, Energy policy, Heat from renewables

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