Hansard

I am pleased to take part in the debate. Hydro power provides energy and jobs to many rural communities, and it can also play a significant part in Scotland meeting its future climate change targets.

I attended the recent dinner at the Scottish Renewables hydro conference to celebrate the 70th anniversary of hydro power in Scotland, which the minister talked about. That was a great way of recognising the contribution of hydro and how it has developed, as well as providing a forum for discussion of the future challenges.

As other members have said, Tom Johnston was a visionary. The establishment of the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board revolutionised the Highlands by using the power of nature to generate power and bring the modern world to parts of Scotland that it had not reached. It was an early renewables sector and the technology was recognised for its importance, but the significance of its future contribution to addressing climate change and to sustainable energy were not imagined.

At the conference in May, it was fascinating to hear about the early pioneers when, on the same day, it was announced that work on the Glasa hydro scheme is to begin later this year. That will be the largest hydro scheme to be built in the UK in the past five years.

The minister mentioned pumped storage and the need for clarity on future UK Government policy, which is important. In the move to a low-carbon economy, pumped storage has a crucial role to play. It is the only commercial-scale technology that can store electricity in large quantities, and we know that that process is key to a balanced energy policy with sufficient base-load.

It is only when we go back to the early years of hydro and consider that only one in every 100 crofts had electricity at the time of the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board’s inception that we can fully understand the size of the task that the new body had to undertake. Now, with more than half Scotland’s 145 hydroelectric schemes located in the Highlands and Islands, we can see how successful hydro power has been for the area.

Agriculture is often at the centre of the rural economy, but the right training and investment mean that renewables can bring significant numbers of jobs to those areas, which strengthen links with locals and keep young families and workers from moving away to find employment. In discussions about the importance of hydro to rural economies at the recent conference, the point was highlighted that such schemes often offer more sustainable, longer-term employment from the construction of infrastructure through to maintenance and operations than other energy projects might. The employment numbers might seem small if we consider them in an urban setting, but they can often contribute significantly to the viability of rural communities.

Total hydro generation capacity in Scotland is about 1,500MW. Although hydro’s once rapid growth has slowed, new major development opportunities are in hand, and scope has been identified for thousands of smaller schemes. At one point, hydro power was the main contributor in Scotland’s drive for renewable energy and, although it has since been overtaken by wind power, it still produces about 12 per cent of Scotland’s electricity. We need to ensure that a package of renewables options is available across Scotland, to build on our strengths and opportunities. Despite the recent announcement that Scotland has, for the second year, missed its annual emissions target, we can recognise the role of hydro in a low-carbon future.

The Minister for Environment and Climate Change will update members next week on the redraft of the second report on proposals and policies. When the draft report was published earlier this year, it attracted some criticism for its overreliance on proposals and for not containing enough policies. However, if a significant redraft of RPP2 is to be achieved, the minister will have to do that with the help of his colleagues from other portfolio areas, including the Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism. With that in mind, it would be interesting if, in his closing remarks, the minister could give his views on the redrafting process for RPP2 and on how he believes that hydro power complements other forms of renewable energy in ensuring that the Government can meet future targets.

There should be further investigation into the viability of potential schemes and their benefits in helping us to achieve future targets. Despite the rise of wind energy, the chance to truly radicalise our energy market and promote community ownership has largely been missed. Many people in the renewables sector who work in Scandinavian countries, where community ownership is expected, say that the key to expansion in Scotland concerns greater capacity and expert support to communities in order for them to be involved in the process and to see that as a possibility for them.

My colleague Ken Macintosh spoke of community ownership. The land reform review group will look at community ownership in relation to renewables in particular and its clear potential as a vehicle for tackling inequality and delivering sustainable growth.

We can lift the barriers that stand in the way of communities that wish to develop renewables.