Island renewables capable of supporting thousands of jobs
Scotland’s energy minister Fergus Ewing will today convene an electricity grid summit in Stornoway, alongside council leaders and local politicians from Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles to tackle barriers to investment and chart a course of action.
The independent Baringa report, commissioned jointly by the Scottish and UK Governments, demonstrated clearly the massive potential of the Scottish islands to deliver clean and cost-effective energy to households on the mainland and support Scotland’s status as a world leader in marine energy technologies.
With the right policy and regulatory support, the Baringa report and Scottish Government analysis shows that island renewables can deliver up to five per cent of GB electricity demand by 2030 support tens of thousands of jobs and contribute in excess of ÂŁ30 million a year in community benefits.
Commenting ahead of the summit Mr Ewing said: “Renewable energy generation on the islands presents a massive opportunity for sustainable economic growth. Thousands of jobs and millions of pounds of community benefits will give current and future generations the ability to thrive in our island communities.
“Progress has been made in recent months and I welcome the fact that the UK Government has listened to Scottish Government calls for additional support for onshore wind on the islands. However, some important administrative and regulatory hurdles remain to be addressed.”