Meeting of the Parliament 25 February 2015
I am sorry, but I have to move on.
Lewis Macdonald rightly emphasised the slight ambiguity in the wording on CCS in the minister’s amendment. The suggestion in the amendment that CCS will continue to play a role implies that it currently plays a significant role, which it does not. As Mr Macdonald rightly identified, the word “progressively” in the amendment seems to leave open the possibility that additional fossil-fuel generating capacity will be approved without CCS being an existing element.
I refer members to the WWF briefing for the debate, in which WWF acknowledges its support for research into CCS. I, too, have never been against research into CCS or public support for such research. However, the briefing makes it clear that the commercialisation of CCS has not been happening at pace. It states:
“The Scottish Government has a responsibility to plan and cater for a scenario in which CCS does not establish itself commercially as quickly as might previously have been hoped.”
WWF calls on the Scottish Government to review its electricity generation policy statement accordingly. WWF’s point is an important one that is consistent with the Scottish Government’s long-standing assumption, which I think is mentioned in RPP2, that Longannet might close by 2020.
We should acknowledge that the transition that we are in must be just and that there must be a far greater emphasis by both levels of government on the diversification of local economies that currently depend heavily on short-term forms of energy generation that have no long-term future.
Mr Macdonald’s amendment states:
“the Scottish Government is responsible ... for ... stewardship of the Scottish economy”.
Would that that was so. Responsibility is clearly divided between two Governments, and it is not enough to say that one Government has responsibility without it having the power. The wider issues about the just transition are echoed in the final part of the Green amendment, which I commend to Parliament.
I move amendment S4M-12395.2, to leave out from first “notes” to end and insert:
“supports an energy strategy for Scotland based on a step-change in energy efficiency, a focus on demand reduction, increased storage capacity, development of a North Sea transmission grid and a rapid transition to low-carbon power production with an emphasis on local and community ownership; notes research such as the World Wildlife Fund’s Pathways to Power, which demonstrates that an almost fully renewables-based electricity generation system is technically feasible and achievable in 2030; recognises that Longannet’s age, EU emissions rules and carbon pricing mean that the closure of the plant is inevitable, and believes that this closure, coupled with recent oil price volatility, demonstrates the need to focus on a just transition for workers and communities from fossil fuels to a secure low-carbon energy system.”
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