WIREDGOV

Island renewables capable of supporting thousands of jobs.

Scotland’s Energy Minister Fergus Ewing will today (Monday) convene an electricity grid summit in Stornoway, alongside council leaders and local politicians from Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles to tackle barriers to investment and chart a course of action.

The independent Baringa report, commissioned jointly by the Scottish and UK Governments, demonstrated clearly the massive potential of the Scottish islands to deliver clean and cost-effective energy to households on the mainland and support Scotland’s status as a world leader in marine energy technologies.

With the right policy and regulatory support, the Baringa report and Scottish Government analysis shows that island renewables can deliver up to five per cent of GB electricity demand by 2030 support tens of thousands of jobs and contribute in excess of £30 million a year in community benefits.

Commenting ahead of the summit Mr Ewing said:

“Renewable energy generation on the islands presents a massive opportunity for sustainable economic growth. Thousands of jobs and millions of pounds of community benefits will give current and future generations the ability to thrive in our island communities.

“Progress has been made in recent months and I welcome the fact that the UK Government has listened to Scottish Government calls for additional support for onshore wind on the islands. However, some important administrative and regulatory hurdles remain to be addressed.

“Key uncertainties remain over both the level of support for renewable generation and the cost of using the transmission network. These uncertainties have effectively created an impasse between the key players, with nobody so far able to take the final steps to unlock necessary investment in grid infrastructure.

“The only way to address these issues is through greater coordination and co-operation between the key players and that is why the island Council leaders and I have called for all these parties to convene today in Stornoway. The summit will consider the issues holistically and look to establish where immediate action can be taken to overcome the barriers to progress.

“I have no doubt that the summit will take us further forward by clarifying what can be done now and what needs to be planned for the future. Today is an opportunity for us all to work together in driving forward change that will help the future generation."

Notes to editors

The summit will also be joined by representatives from Ofgem, the UK Government, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the grid owner Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission, and industry