Scottish Energy Advisory Board minutes: November 2025

Attendees and apologies

Co-Chairs

• Rt. Hon. John Swinney MSP, First Minister (co-chair)
• Prof. Sir Jim McDonald, Principal Professor and Vice Chancellor, University of Strathclyde (co-chair)

Members in attendance

• Melfort Campbell, CEO, IMES Group
• Lewis Shand-Smith, Chair, Energy Consumers Network
• Keith Anderson, CEO, Scottish Power
• Adrian Gillespie, CEO, Scottish Enterprise
• Frank Mitchell, Chair, Skills Development Scotland
• Gordon McGuinness, Director of Industries and Enterprise Networks, Skills Development Scotland (SDS)
• Sam Ghibaldan, CEO, Consumer Scotland
• Paul Wheelhouse (attending in place of Jane Morrison-Ross), Head of Energy Transition, South of Scotland Enterprise
• Martin Pibworth, CEO, Scottish and Southern Energy
• Julian Leslie (attending in place of Fintan Slye), Director of Strategic Energy Planning and Chief Engineer, National Energy System Operator (NESO)
• Philippa Parmiter, CEO, NECCUS
• Myrtle Dawes, CEO, Net Zero Technology Centre
• Graham Watson (in place of Willie Watt), Head of Public and Government Partnerships, Scottish National Investment Bank
• David Oxley (attending in place of Stuart Black), Director of Strategic Projects, Highlands and Islands Enterprise
• David Pearson, Group Sustainable Development Director, Star Refrigeration
• Matthieu Hue (replaces Yusuf Patel), CEO, EDF Renewables
• Claire Mack, Chair/Chief Executive, SOWEC / Scottish Renewables
• Professor Keith Bell, Member, UK Climate Change Committee
• Rozanne Foyer, General Secretary, STUC
• David Whitehouse, Chief Executive, Offshore Energies UK
• Steve Foxley, Chief Executive, ORE Catapult

Scottish Government attendees

• Gillian Martin MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy
• Kersti Berge, Director of Energy and Climate Change
• Michelle Quinn, Director of Offshore Wind
• Catherine Williams, Deputy Director, Onshore Energy
• Adam Reid, Deputy Director, Skills Division
• SEAB Secretariat

Apologies

• Fintan Slye, Director, National Energy System Operator
• Andrew Walls, Interim CEO, ORE Catapult
• Jane Morrison-Ross, Chief Executive, South of Scotland Enterprise
• Stuart Black, Chief Executive, Highlands and Islands Enterprise
• Ian Marchant, CEO, Dunelm Energy
• Willie Watt, Chair, Scottish National Investment Bank
• Stuart Wallace, Forth Ports
• Simon Kilonback, SGN

Items and actions

Welcome, introductions, and updates of previous meeting

Sir Jim McDonald welcomed members and introduced the agenda. He updated on progress in relation to the actions from the previous meeting: 

• focused session on zonal pricing to be organised with key stakeholders and the First Minister – Action is complete. Session took place on 16 April
• to discuss skills and workforce needs for clean power at a future Scottish Energy Advisory Board (SEAB) – Action is complete. Item for agenda in today’s meeting
• Scottish Government (SG) officials to note the points raised on skills and workforce for the consideration of officials and Ministers in the Education portfolio – Action is in progress. It was noted that there has been significant engagement across energy and skills policy areas to align skills planning with renewable energy opportunities. This includes the convening of a short-life working group with industry and public sector partners to draft an offshore wind skills action plan, which is due to be published shortly
• SG and National Energy System Operator's (NESO) to consider further engagement with Trade Unions as part of their work on clean power – Action is in progress.  SG officials are part of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) Clean Power 2030 Supply Chains and Workforce Industry Forum, which includes union representatives, and continue to regularly engage with the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) as part of planning for a just transition

Subject to an amendment requested by Keith Bell, the minutes from the previous meeting (4 February 2025) were approved. 

Revised Terms of Reference and Strategic Liaison Groups (SLG) 

Sir Jim referred to papers shared with members in advance on the revised Terms of Reference and an update on SEAB’s Strategic Liaison Groups (SLGs). Following a review, the structure of the supporting SLGs has been refined to include:

• Energy Consumers Network
• Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council (SOWEC)
• Onshore Wind SLG

Lewis Shand-Smith fed back that community groups are pleased with the addition of communities to the Energy Consumers SLG (to form the Energy Consumers Network). 

Claire Mack confirmed that the Onshore Wind SLG focuses on the Onshore Wind Sector Deal, so does not operate in the same way as SOWEC. She requested a set of SLG meeting schedules to ensure SLGs can continue to feed into SEAB.  

Myrtle Dawes highlighted that decarbonisation does not have an SLG and that it would be useful to see issues around decarbonisation on the agenda. 

First Minister introductory remarks

The First Minister reassured SEAB members that he views this forum as crucial in providing different perspectives on the Scottish Government’s transition to net zero. In particular, he highlighted: 

• optimism around the scale of opportunities, but the need to focus discussions around pace, alignment, and systems thinking
• the clear commitment and direction from Scottish Government in relation to net zero and the pursuit of clean energy 
• concerns around complex interdependencies and their impact on the transition 
• the importance of skills alignment to achieve the full benefits of a just transition   

Clean Power 2030 and the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP) – Implications for Scotland

The Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy opened the item by outlining the Scottish Government’s clear role in the delivery of the UK Government’s Clean Power 2030 Action Plan. The full benefits of this will be realised through:  

• considering what action the Scottish Government and SEAB members can take to ensure Scotland’s vast renewables pipeline is delivered in a way that maintains investor confidence, boosts economic growth, jobs and supply chains, and secures clear benefits for communities and consumers
• working together, including with the UK Government, to make sure energy system reforms work for the businesses, industries and people of Scotland 

Catherine Williams presented on the delivery of Scotland’s renewables ambitions and progress on Clean Power 2030, almost one year after publication, noting:

• the strong pipeline of renewable energy projects in Scotland either under construction, awaiting construction or in planning and the significant expansion of network capacity planned
• the action being taken by Scottish Government in support of the delivery of the Clean Power 2030 action plan and just transition in Scotland, working closely with the UK Government and partners on barriers to delivery

Julain Leslie presented on the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP), which is being led by NESO. He outlined how:

• NESO is taking a whole-systems approach and the SSEP will be a multi-vector long term plan
• demand after 2030 is projected to increase significantly and there is a need to decarbonise 
• as co-commissioner, the Scottish Government is a valued partner and is part of the governance process

Adrian Gillespie spoke of the economic opportunities associated with future energy investment: 

• Scotland continues to have a very strong pipeline of inward investment and has been successful at attracting international investment, particularly in offshore wind
• the conclusion of the Review of Electricity Market Arrangements (REMA) and ongoing reforms are still impacting on investor confidence 
• competitiveness is key and we need to be secure a good outcome from AR7 and keep a focus on AR8 – both for floating and fixed offshore wind
• increasing domestic supply chain content is crucial
• Scottish Enterprise, the Scottish National Investment Bank and the enterprise agencies are focused on accelerating the pipeline of projects, securing inward investment and providing confidence   

Sir Jim referred to the key questions for discussion and asked members to focus on actions that can be taken to address the issues and challenges highlighted. 

Discussion

• David Whitehouse highlighted the importance of a systems approach and said that greater clarity on subsidies and how costs in sectors such as hydrogen and floating offshore wind can be reduced would result in more pace, accelerating the flow of investment
• Philippa Parmiter agreed on the importance of local content and stressed the need to consider the wider carbon footprint as part of procurement
• Martin Pibworth spoke about the need to consider value and flagged that the current narrative fails to recognise that renewable energy is cheaper than gas
• Roz Foyer stressed that if energy bills are not lowered there is a risk the electorate will reject the transition - delivery needs to enable people across Scotland to see the benefits 
• Sam Gibaldan welcomed the SSEP as a long term strategy, but agreed there is a need to consider the impact on consumers. Constraint costs are increasing and more needs to be done to reduce peak capacity and manage demand
• Keith Anderson outlined the substantial growth in employment at Scottish Power in recent years, but they are struggling to find people in some areas. He also highlighted how repowering is critical to the transition, although there are currently some barriers to being able to do this quickly
• the First Minister asked about the barriers to repowering and Keith Anderson explained that the process could be significantly simpler and shorter 
• Lewis Shand-Smith said that community engagement is essential to enable consumer confidence and suggested that the Energy Consumers network is a way to do this. Different methods of community benefit delivery can also be used to support decarbonisation projects that help bring costs down for consumers 
• Matthieu Hue said that action and pace is needed, but there also needs to be visibility and understanding. Actions in areas such as Eskdalemuir are key to addressing barriers 
• David Pearson reminded members that SEAB should consider demand as well as generation and suggested a stronger narrative is required on the heat transition to demonstrate the opportunities
• the First Minister summarised how the journey to net zero requires an extraordinary level of policy alignment to ensure success. He also noted significant concerns expressed by members in relation to the AR7 budget. He then asked about how alignment can be secured  
•  Julian Leslie responded that the SSEP is designed to provide long term certainty, with the Reformed National Delivery Plan and connections reform also being key. However, he acknowledged that more certainty is required post 2030 
• Catherine Williams echoed the First Minister’s point in relation to systems thinking. She summarised key points and future actions as being focused on: a clear message to UK Government on the importance of AR7 and AR8; considering what more can be done to ensure local content; acting across vectors in relation to supply chain and jobs; looking at what more can be done to streamline repowering; and ensuring appropriate engagement with communities 
•  the First Minister thanked members for the valuable conversation and committed to consider what more the Scottish Government can do to create the outcomes we are working towards
•  the Cabinet Secretary outlined how the whole energy system has the potential to deliver opportunities and prosperity, but this needs to be articulated in a way that resonates with the people of Scotland

Skills – Energy sector update 

Gordon McGuiness presented an overview of energy skills, noting that an energy sector skills update paper was circulated to members in advance. He outlined the scale of the opportunity:  

• across a range of key sectors, there will be up to £230 billion of investment over the next decade, providing a unique opportunity for a just transition
• there is a critical need for skilled workers, presenting challenges related to the scale of investment 
• collaborative action is required for skills alignment, industry growth and to realise the potential  

Keith Bell thanked SDS for the paper and noted that confidence in the transition is essential to allow both industry and the education sector to plan and prepare effectively. 

Philippa Parmiter said there is a need to embed the transition into the school system at an earlier age and to encourage more diversity, including raising awareness of women in the energy sector.   

David Whitehouse asked for more to be done to break down the silos between clean energy jobs and oil and gas jobs, suggesting that the success of apprenticeships should be built on and more internships made available.

The First Minister summarised the discussion and noted two key points: 

• there is a determined effort by SDS and colleges to make sure provision is directly connected to the economy; this is driving decision making and coming through in reforms. Apprenticeships provide a vital link for people and set them on the right pathway
• we need to be open to reforming the approach to delivery of skills and consider other models. The Scottish Government is keen to work with industry on this 

Frank Mitchell suggested that rolling out the approach taken in the Workforce North initiative would be helpful. Sir Jim noted that he would be happy to help with that approach.  

The Cabinet Secretary outlined the importance of industry leading on developing their relationship with schools. By building relationships at an early stage, investment by industry will pay off over time and help increase the diversity of the energy workforce.  

Any other business and close

Sir Jim and the First Minister thanked attendees for their valuable contributions and continued support towards SEAB. 

Sir Jim hoped that it would be possible to arrange another meeting in February or March 2026 before the Scottish parliamentary election.

Reflecting on the theme of the meeting, he underlined the importance of telling the story of the benefits and value of the energy transition. 

Summary of actions

• share slides from meeting with SEAB members 
• Scottish Government to circulate an overview of SLG meetings and how they feed into SEAB 
• Scottish Government to follow up with Melfort Campbell in relation to engagement on oil and gas
• issues around decarbonisation to be discussed at a future SEAB meeting 
• Scottish Government to consider how the SLGs and other industry groups relate to SEAB, particularly in relation to decarbonisation and networks  
• the Energy Consumers Network to consider community engagement and consumer confidence in light of the continued narrative around the cost of renewables
• Scottish Government and industry to be clear in messaging to UK Government on the importance of AR7 and AR8 
• Scottish Government to consider what more can be done to ensure local content, acting across vectors in relation to supply chain and jobs 
• Scottish Government to consider what more can be done to streamline  repowering 
• Scottish Government and industry to ensure appropriate engagement with communities on the energy transition
• Sir Jim to follow up with Frank Mitchell on Workforce North approach and how this could be rolled out to increase engagement between schools and industry
• if possible, arrange the next SEAB meeting in February or March 2026