Energy experts call for Scotland to have power to escape nuclear – Sunday Herald

Exclusive by Rob Edwards Environmental Editor

A leading group of 16 academics and experts has made a powerful plea for
Scotland to have much more control over its energy policy to escape
Westminster’s backing for “bankrupt” nuclear power.

Energy specialists from universities in Aberdeen, St Andrews, Edinburgh,
Manchester, Cardiff and London have written a joint letter to the Sunday
Herald arguing that Scotland should gain control over “a large portion” of
the financial incentives for renewables energy schemes.

They are urging the establishment of a Scottish energy regulator to help
renewables by encouraging investment in local electricity grids. They
condemn plans for more energy devolution by Labour, LibDem and Tory parties
as “feeble”.

But they say that the changes they are advocating can be made either under
independence or increased devolution. “Scotland needs greater energy powers
to escape from English advocacy of economically and politically bankrupt
nuclear power and to counteract declining support from the UK government
for Scottish priorities for renewable energy,” they argue.

Their intervention has been welcomed by the Scottish government. “This is a
devastating critique of UK energy policy from leading energy academics
which blows a huge hole in the UK government’s energy policy,” said the
energy minister, Fergus Ewing MSP.

The joint letter was coordinated by Dr David Toke, a reader in energy
politics at University of Aberdeen. “I feel the need to make this
intervention because Scottish low carbon energy priorities are being
overlooked by Westminster in favour of policy made for England rather than
Scotland,” he said. He warned that a future Conservative government could
curb spending on Scottish renewables in favour of nuclear power and
renewables in England. “This would be bad for the whole of the UK, and of
course totally against Scottish priorities,” he argued.

But he stressed that the joint letter was not an endorsement of either side
in the referendum debate. “The signatories will have varying opinions on a
Yes or No vote, but as far as I am concerned the intervention does not
necessarily imply support for Yes or No,” he said.

Another leading signatory, Professor Peter Strachan from Robert Gordon
University in Aberdeen, warned that there was a “very real prospect” of
power blackouts in the next year or two. “Scotland generates a massive
surplus of electricity – more than one quarter of what it generates – and
it exports much of this to England,” he said.

But not everyone agrees. Colin McInnes, professor of engineering science at
the University of Strathclyde, argued that energy policy should be driven
by physics, engineering and economics. “We should remember that due to
their long design life, new nuclear plants to the south will be delivering
reliable, zero carbon energy out towards the end of the century, while our
wind farms will need to be replaced within 25 years,” he said.