IT’S not been a good year for the renewable energy sector in Scotland as
Peter Swindon’s exposé of the Scottish Government’s curtailment of the
Renewable Energy Generation Relief Scheme (“Green energy relief scheme for
firms axed”, The Herald, December 23) demonstrates.
Renewable energy must now be added to the Scottish Government’s current
travails in health, education and transport – with a list of missed
opportunities and broken promises.
The UK Government at least heralded their proposed abandonment of onshore
wind in their manifesto even if it didn’t include the premature end of the
Renewables Obligation (RO) therein. The Scottish Government has no such
excuse.
While criticising UK Government Ministers and maintaining the pretence of
support it has first either given away powers to set a separate Scottish RO
as previous Scottish Governments did – or bluntly opted not to exercise
them – and now seeks to impose this additional obstacle to renewables
growth in Scotland under its very own budget proposals.
Having failed to act in support of the sector on Scottish Renewables
Obligation Certificates it has now decided to add its own penalty on top of
the UK Government’s.
Fortunately the House of Lords has forced the UK Government to reappraise
its plans for the premature end of the RO – due in no small part to the
actions of Scottish Lords Foulkes and Wallace– by removing Clause 66 from
the Energy Bill and we can only hope Scottish opposition parties can now
force a similar rethink by Scottish ministers of this damaging proposal in
the SNP budget.
The future growth of renewable energy in Scotland is inextricably linked to
the future growth of a low-carbon economy – particularly in light of the
oil price collapse – and this ill-considered decision requires to be
revisited when the proposed Scottish budget comes under parliamentary
scrutiny early next year.
Warm words on climate change targets will no longer suffice, the renewable
energy sector is too important to Scotland’s future economy to be treated
with such cavalier disregard.
Allan Wilson,
44 Stoneyholm Road, Kilbirnie.
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