Meeting of the Parliament 27 May 2025
I am open to any suggestions that would mean having more local authority schemes. If there are any barriers in the way, I would like to investigate what they are with the particular local authorities concerned. I will come on to Ms Boyack’s Labour amendment in a minute, because I think that there are some opportunities for discussion there.
We are progressing work on the commitment in the onshore wind sector deal to publish a framework of practical approaches to support and encourage community shared ownership models. That will assist communities, developers and funders to engage in shared ownership opportunities.
The UK Government recently published a working paper seeking views on the current voluntary approach to community shared ownership and barriers to the uptake of shared ownership. I encourage all members to look at that paper—it is a consultation of sorts—and to publicise it to their communities. We will consider the proposals in detail to ensure that they consider Scottish communities and give them the chance to benefit from investing in commercially owned renewable energy projects.
I come to the Labour amendment, which we support. The Scottish Government is committed to exploring ways in which we can maximise the opportunities that are offered by the sustainable procurement duty. That will support the development of sustainably sourced energy in Scotland and, where possible, how we incorporate locally sourced energy into the electricity that is supplied via our national framework agreement for the supply of electricity. The current framework agreement is due to expire in March 2029, so we will ensure that the next-generation framework agreement reflects the desire of the public sector in Scotland to maximise the opportunities that are offered by power purchase agreements.
Through community energy and shared ownership, as well as community benefits and the wider economic benefits from renewables, we are absolutely committed to maximising the benefits that communities see from renewable energy. Community energy supports our net zero ambitions, but it does more than that. It puts communities at the heart of the energy transition, empowering them to support their own priorities and reflecting each community’s long-term needs and aspirations in a way that is just and fair. Our £8 million community energy generation growth fund will mean that there will be more action in this area.
I look forward to participating in the debate on such an important topic.
I move,
That the Parliament believes that Scotland must increase community-owned energy production, and supports communities being aided to achieve this; welcomes that, since its inception, the Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) has advised over 1,300 organisations and provided over £67 million in funding to support over 990 projects; notes that the new Community Energy Generation Growth Fund will provide up to £8 million to boost community energy in Scotland, and believes that the development of renewables at all scales in Scotland should benefit consumers, communities and the economy.