Meeting of the Parliament 01 May 2025
I agree with the cabinet secretary that our energy system should be a mix. That is why I am keen to pilot hydrogen—just to see whether it works. I see Mr Johnson nodding at that point, so I am glad about that. Let us see how it goes. If it does not work, we should not proceed with it, but if it does, it has potential.
It is a little bit concerning that the Scottish Government does not include low-emission heating systems such as hydrogen-ready boilers in its Scottish house condition survey data. In response to a written question, Alasdair Allan said:
“these forms of heating will be considered for inclusion in future surveys when they become more prevalent in the Scottish dwelling stock.”—[Written Answers, 9 January 2025; S6W-32993.]
I say gently to Dr Allan that we need to know the state of play now, and not sometime in the future, so he might want to reconsider that.
I turn to transport, which is the biggest carbon-emitting sector but the one with the most potential for using hydrogen. There is a lot going on in transport. In November last year, the cross party group on aviation heard from Jane Golding of Sustainable Aviation Test Environment, who spoke about delivering sustainable regional aviation and improved connectivity for the Highlands and Islands. She told us that HITRANS is looking at a number of projects, including a nine to 19-seater inter-island aircraft powered by hydrogen, which HITRANS hopes will be ready for 2027. The aviation sector in general is looking at hydrogen as a future fuel.
Those MSPs who follow my contributions will no doubt have picked up on my keen interest in European Union regulation 2023/1804 on the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure. I see no nods of recognition, so I will refresh members’ collective memory. This will be of interest to all those members who are desperately keen to keep pace with EU regulations. The regulation says that, by the end of the year, there should be one recharging pool at least every 37 miles on the main road network in the EU. Imagine if we had that here—it would be transformative. Mr Golden, who is sitting to my left, might be happier to have an electric car than he is, and refuseniks such as me might consider getting one. On hydrogen, the regulation says that publicly accessible hydrogen refuelling stations must be deployed, with a maximum distance of 124 miles between them. That is why, across the EU, you can see hydrogen filling stations popping up.
I note from your look, Presiding Officer, that you might want me to conclude, despite having a little bit of extra time. I will finish by mentioning Grangemouth, which is in my region. We have known about the potential to make lots of hydrogen there since well before project willow. It is for the UK and Scottish Governments to turn warm words into action and make it happen. In general, however, there ought to be consensus on the issue. I am happy to support the motion in Gillian Martin’s name, and I hope that she will support my amendment.
I move amendment S6M-17399.1, to insert at end:
“, and further calls on the Scottish Government to work with the UK Government on developing plans for hydrogen to be part of Scotland’s energy mix, and to set out how it can play a role in transport and heating.”
15:22Motions, questions or amendments mentioned by their reference code.