Information on hydroelectric assets in Scotland: EIR release

Information requested

Information on hydroelectric assets in Scotland.

Please be advised that we are treating point 4 of your email as a request under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR). You have asked the Scottish Government to:

• Publish a full accounting of Scotland’s hydroelectric assets and capacities, with plans for upgrades and expansions.
• Provide transparent 50-year cost–benefit comparisons between wind and hydro used in procurement decisions.
• Confirm a plan for community benefit and stewardship over water resources.

Response

As the information you have requested is 'environmental information' for the purposes of the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs), we are required to deal with your request under those Regulations. We are applying the exemption at section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), so that we do not also have to deal with your request under FOISA.

This exemption is subject to the 'public interest test'. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption, because there is no public interest in dealing with the same request under two different regimes. This is essentially a technical point and has no material effect on the outcome of your request.

We will address the points in order they were raised.

Publish a full accounting of Scotland’s hydroelectric assets and capacities, with plans for upgrades and expansions

It should be noted that in Scotland, the design, planning and delivery of renewable energy projects is done by private developers.

For prospective projects with a generating capacity below 50MW the determination decision will be made by the relevant planning authority under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997.

For prospective projects with a generating capacity of 50MW or above, the determination decision will be made Scottish Ministers under Section 36 or 37 of the Electricity Act 1989. Scottish Government Energy Consents Unit (ECU) is responsible for processing applications to be determined by Scottish Ministers. Most pumped hydro projects will fall under this requirement due to their capacity.

Planning Aid Scotland have published their easy-read information sheet on ‘Navigating the Consenting Processes for Renewable Energy Developments’ which you may find helpful, and you can find a link to the document here: Navigating the Consenting Processes for Renewable Energy Developments.

There is a partial list of Scottish, operational hydro assets published with the Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD). Pipeline assets can also be obtained from the REPD. This information is published and can be accessed here: Renewable Energy Planning Database: quarterly extract - GOV.UK.

The REPD tracks the progress of UK renewable electricity projects over 150kW through the planning system. It provides as accurate and comprehensive a snapshot as possible of projects, and of progress across the technology sectors, including plans for development, construction, operation, and decommissioning. The REPD can be filtered by country and technology type and then by project development status category.

An interactive map of the REPD data shows the geographical spread of renewable energy projects which can also be viewed here: Renewable Energy Planning Database.

Under regulation 6(1)(b) of the EIRs, we do not have to give you information which is already publicly available and easily accessible to you in another form or format. If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the website(s) listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.

A full list of operational assets is held by the Department for Net Zero and Energy Security (DESNZ) and they may be able to provide more. They can be contacted at renewablestatistics@energysecurity.gov.uk.

Provide transparent 50-year cost–benefit comparisons between wind and hydro used in procurement decisions

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested. Therefore, we are refusing your request under the exception at regulation 10(4)(a) of the EIRs. The reasons why that exception applies are explained below.

Under the terms of the exception at regulation 10(4)(a) of the EIRs (information not held), the Scottish Government is not required to provide information which it does not have. The Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested because there was no documentation held that provides “transparent 50-year cost benefit comparison between wind and hydro use in procurement decisions”.

Confirm a plan for community benefit and stewardship over water resources

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of ensuring that communities across Scotland benefit from the transition to net zero. Community benefits are an established feature of renewable energy development in Scotland and sit alongside wider socio-economic benefits such as employment opportunities and economic growth.

These arrangements are delivered voluntarily by developers, independent of planning and licensing processes. As electricity regulation is reserved to the UK Government, the Scottish Government does not currently have powers to legislate for the provision of community benefits or shared ownership in renewable energy developments.

In 2024, communities across Scotland were offered approximately £30 million in voluntary community benefits, supported by the Scottish Government’s Good Practice Principles (GPPs) (source: CB-Register-narrative-report-Feb-25_FINAL.pdf).

The GPPs for onshore renewable energy developments apply to all onshore renewable technologies, including hydro and pumped hydro storage. They recommend community benefits equivalent to £5,000 per installed megawatt (MW) per year, index-linked for the operational lifetime of the development. The guidance also recognises that developers may offer flexible, locally tailored benefit packages that reflect the specific needs and priorities of host communities. The overarching aim is to ensure that community benefits are meaningful, transparent, and locally appropriate, contributing to long-term positive outcomes.

The Scottish Government is currently undertaking a review of the GPPs, following a public consultation that closed in April 2025. The evidence gathered will inform updated guidance to ensure that community benefit arrangements continue to deliver sustainable and impactful support as part of a just and fair transition to net zero. The refreshed guidance will be published in due course.

Further information is available via the Scottish Government’s Good Practice Principles: Community benefits from onshore renewable energy developments - gov.scot

We take the protection of our environment seriously and we all have a role to play. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is Scotland’s independent environmental regulator, and you can find more about their care for their water environment at Water | Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.