Meeting of the Parliament 04 March 2025
I have taken too many interventions as it is.
Scotland already has an enviable track record in renewable generation, including onshore and offshore wind, solar and tidal. I echo what the First Minister said in his speech on climate action at Glasgow Botanic Gardens, last month:
“Scotland’s greatest contribution to the global climate challenge is our renewable energy potential, our technical expertise and our capacity for innovation.”
Scotland proudly leads the way across the UK in onshore wind deployment. As of 24 September, we had approximately 10.2GW of operational onshore wind capacity in Scotland, and we are working hard to ensure that new developments maximise value for communities through the onshore wind sector deal, which includes commitments for actions by both the Government and industry that will secure benefits for Scotland’s economy, communities and natural environment.
To complement our work on deployment of onshore wind, we are pressing forward with our ambitious offshore wind targets, which will ensure that Scotland is fuel secure well into the future, and will provide good-quality jobs in energy for the long term. We have an estimated pipeline of more than 40GW of Scottish offshore wind capacity, on top of the 3GW that are already operational. Those projects are crucial to supporting our commitment to a just transition and will continue to affirm Scotland’s position as a world leader in the energy sector.
Although the deployment of renewable generation is important, its intermittent nature means that development of storage capacity is essential for ensuring the security and flexibility of our energy system. Scotland has a significant pipeline of pumped storage hydro projects, equating to 6.9GW of storage capacity, which offers a significant investment potential that will bring huge economic benefits to Scotland. In my answer to Fergus Ewing, I mentioned what other countries have done in that regard.
The energy transition is an era-defining economic opportunity for Scotland, with the potential to provide tens of thousands of good-quality sustainable green jobs across the country. We are leading the UK in delivering a green jobs revolution and unlocking the tremendous potential that is held by that transition and the wider net zero journey.
In addition, the manufacturing supply chain and support activities that are associated with renewables are set to give a future to old industrial sites, including the high-voltage direct current cable manufacturing plant that is planned for Hunterston; Ardersier, which is thriving under new management; and the Sumitomo Electric investment in Nigg. The £800 million Coalburn battery storage project in South Lanarkshire further highlights the scale of the opportunity to give disused industrial sites a new lease of life.
We are striving towards a clean energy system and growing our national economy. I feel strongly that we must do so in a way that supports the communities that host the infrastructure. Despite much of that being reserved to the UK Government, we are taking action to make sure that communities gain tangible benefits from Scotland’s clean power revolution.