Scottish Government electricity procurement: EIR release

Information requested

1. Electricity Sourcing for Scottish Government Buildings (1 April 2024 – 31 March 2025)

Could you please confirm whether your organisation’s electricity supply for this period was:

• standard brown grid electricity,
• REGO-backed,
• EDF nuclear-free, or
• 100% certified renewable (green)?

This will allow us to ensure that your position is represented accurately.

2. Interpretation of REGO Guidance and Framework Application

Across Scottish local authorities, we have received detailed and consistent explanations regarding the Scottish Government’s position on REGOs and the reasons for discouraging their use.

One authority summarised the position as follows:

“EDF’s contract with Scottish Procurement ensures that public sector sites in Scotland are supplied with 100% renewable electricity.”

Could you please confirm whether this statement is universally accurate for organisations using your national framework, and whether all Scottish public bodies on the framework should therefore be supplied with 100% renewable electricity, as defined by Scottish Procurement?

3. Variations in Practice Among Scottish Local Authorities

Within the disclosures provided to us, we have observed a wide variation in actual electricity sourcing, for example:

• East Renfrewshire Council reported sourcing 100% Green.
• Renfrewshire Council reported sourcing brown electricity, stating the decision was “based on cost considerations.”
• Another council stated:

“The Council have previously purchased REGOs; however, due to the premiums for these and rising energy costs along with the overall impact on Council budgets, the decision was taken not to purchase these… this was purely a financial decision.”

Additionally, several major councils — including Fife, Glasgow City, and South Lanarkshire — reported being supplied under the normal EDF mix.

From the data supplied, the majority of Scottish local authorities appear to have been on standard brown electricity during the period.

4. Request for Clarification

To ensure that the final report reflects Scottish Government policy and practice accurately, could you please clarify:

• Whether Scottish local authorities must be supplied with certified renewable electricity if they are on the national framework;
• Whether deviations (e.g., brown or standard-mix supply) are permitted;

Response

1. Electricity Sourcing for Scottish Government Buildings (1 April 2024 – 31 March 2025)

Could you please confirm whether your organisation’s electricity supply for this period was:

• standard brown grid electricity,
• REGO-backed,
• EDF nuclear-free, or
• 100% certified renewable (green)?

This will allow us to ensure that your position is represented accurately.

Answer:
Scottish Government supplies on the SP Framework were supplied via REGO backed power for 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025.

2. Interpretation of REGO Guidance and Framework Application

Across Scottish local authorities, we have received detailed and consistent explanations regarding the Scottish Government’s position on REGOs and the reasons for discouraging their use.

One authority summarised the position as follows:

“EDF’s contract with Scottish Procurement ensures that public sector sites in Scotland are supplied with 100% renewable electricity.”

Could you please confirm whether this statement is universally accurate for organisations using your national framework, and whether all Scottish public bodies on the framework should therefore be supplied with 100% renewable electricity, as defined by Scottish Procurement?

Answer:
The statement that the Framework ensures that public sector sites in Scotland are supplied with 100% renewable energy is incorrect.

The standard energy mix is the default for Framework customers and if they require to be 100% renewable they have to option to select one of the three REGO backed 100% Renewable Energy options offered on the Framework.

Only customers who request one of the 100% Renewable options are supplied with 100% renewable energy.

3. Variations in Practice Among Scottish Local Authorities

Within the disclosures provided to us, we have observed a wide variation in actual electricity sourcing, for example:

• East Renfrewshire Council reported sourcing 100% Green.
• Renfrewshire Council reported sourcing brown electricity, stating the decision was “based on cost considerations.”
• Another council stated:

“The Council have previously purchased REGOs; however, due to the premiums for these and rising energy costs along with the overall impact on Council budgets, the decision was taken not to purchase these… this was purely a financial decision.”

Additionally, several major councils — including Fife, Glasgow City, and South Lanarkshire — reported being supplied under the normal EDF mix.

From the data supplied, the majority of Scottish local authorities appear to have been on standard brown electricity during the period.

East Renfrewshire Council were supplied via the REGO backed renewable option for 2024/25 and Renfrewshire Council were supplied from the standard energy mix.

The majority of Local Authorities in Scotland were supplied via the standard energy mix and not through one of the REGO backed renewable options for 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025.

4. Request for Clarification

To ensure that the final report reflects Scottish Government policy and practice accurately, could you please clarify:

• Whether Scottish local authorities must be supplied with certified renewable electricity if they are on the national framework;
• Whether deviations (e.g., brown or standard-mix supply) are permitted;

There is no Scottish Government policy to mandate that Scottish local authorities or any framework customer must be supplied with certified renewable electricity, if they are on the national framework.

The national framework offers certified renewable electricity as an option. Otherwise, customers are supplied via the standard energy mix.

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