£80m for low carbon growth

Scotland’s first Energy Strategy will strengthen the development of local energy, empower and protect consumers, and support climate change efforts while tackling fuel poverty.

The Strategy includes a range of actions to deliver our goals, including a £20 million Energy Investment Fund, which will build on the success of the Renewable Energy Investment Fund, and a £60 million Low Carbon Innovation Fund, to provide dedicated support for renewable and low carbon infrastructure over and above wider interventions to support innovation across the economy.

Published today (Wednesday 20 December), the strategy has six strategic priorities:

• Promote consumer engagement and protect consumers from excessive costs
• Champion Scotland’s renewable energy potential, creating new jobs and supply chain opportunities
• Improve the energy efficiency of Scotland’s homes, buildings, industrial processes and manufacturing
• Continue to support investment and innovation across our oil and gas sector, including exploration, innovation, subsea engineering, decommissioning and carbon capture and storage
• Ensure homes and businesses can continue to depend on secure, resilient and flexible energy supplies
• Empower communities by supporting innovative local energy systems and networks

During a statement to the Scottish Parliament, Mr Wheelhouse also announced that the latest figures from the Energy Saving Trust show a 12% increase in the level of community and locally owned renewable capacity operating in Scotland, which now sits at more than 660MW.

Wide engagement and public consultation on a publicly owned energy company is planned for 2018. The aim is that this company will support economic development and contribute to tackling fuel poverty, as well as being run on a not-for-profit basis.

Business, Energy and Innovation Minister Paul Wheelhouse said:

“Scotland has world class skills, expertise and knowledge, from the North Sea oil and gas industry to our academic institutions and smaller start-ups to our cutting edge low carbon technology.

“This strategy recognises and builds on our achievements to date and on Scotland’s capacity for innovation. It places consumers, and their interests, more firmly than ever at the heart of everything that we do.

“We are leading the way in promoting community and locally owned renewable energy – well ahead of the rest of the UK – as figures announced today demonstrate.

“This strategy will guide decisions of the Scottish Government over the coming decades. We want to make sure, within the scope of our devolved powers, good stewardship of Scotland’s energy sector – something we have called the UK Government to step up to for years.”

Background

The Strategy can be found here: www.gov.scot/energystrategy

An open consultation was conducted at the beginning of the year which drew over 250 substantive responses. Those detailed responses, as well as feedback from the Scottish Energy Advisory Board and responses to further consultations on the onshore wind policy statement, local heat and energy efficiency strategies, regulation of district heating, and unconventional oil and gas, have helped shape, inform and influence the strategy.

Energy Savings Trust figures can be found here: www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/community-energyreports