Meeting of the Parliament 25 February 2015
The result of the division is: For 61, Against 53, Abstentions 0.
Motion, as amended, agreed to,
That the Parliament notes with concern the latest threats to the continued operation of Longannet Power Station in Fife, brought about by the UK’s discriminatory transmission charging regime; further notes that cleaner thermal generation progressively fitted with carbon capture and storage technology will continue to play an important role in securing Scotland’s future energy mix, alongside the expansion of renewables, as set out in the Scottish Government’s Electricity Generation Policy Statement 2013; recognises that UK energy policy and regulation actively discourages the construction of new conventional thermal generating plants in Scotland compared with other locations in the UK, given the higher transmission charges faced by Scottish generators; shares the Scottish Government’s disappointment at the further delay in implementing transmission pricing reforms stemming from Ofgem’s Project TransmiT; recognises the significant progress in renewables deployment in Scotland, with over 44% of gross electricity consumption met from renewable sources in 2013; supports the need for increased investment in large-scale flexible electricity storage solutions, including pumped storage, to complement the increasing deployment of renewable technologies, and further supports the First Minister’s call for the UK Government to undertake a dedicated electricity capacity assessment for Scotland and to transfer to the Scottish Parliament the authority to set a Scottish security and quality of supply standard for electricity.