Meeting of the Parliament 06 December 2016
I welcome the opportunity to debate renewables. We will consider the draft energy strategy in the new year, and there will be a longer period for discussion and debate, which will undoubtedly cover renewables along with a range of other energy sources. I am clear that we need a mix of sources in our energy supply for the future.
In the interests of time and brevity, I will focus in this debate predominantly on two aspects. The first is the support—or lack of it—from the UK Government, and the second is the economic impact of renewables investment.
Let me take those things in reverse order. We have seen a substantial increase in renewables, particularly with onshore wind projects in the past few years, and that is welcome. For many people, their support in part depends on where the turbines are sited and how well they work with the background environment. That said, Scotland punches above its weight in attracting the lion’s share of UK Government subsidies. I am not convinced, however, that we have got the biggest bang for our buck.
I am told by those who work in the industry that there is considerable supply chain potential that we are simply not catching. Typically, the vast majority of wind turbines are manufactured abroad. That is where a considerable amount of our resource goes and that is where the biggest jobs impact is. I will give two examples to illustrate that. I am told that the offshore wind turbine project in the Pentland Firth sends its turbine work to Austria, and the new Scottish Power project in the North Sea is sending its turbine orders to the Gulf. That is potentially 200 jobs, the benefit of which is not in Scotland. Frankly, that is not good enough. At a time when our economy is struggling, every penny should be a prisoner and we should seek to make more of the economic opportunities, especially those that enjoy public subsidy.