connection are assessed on a scheme-by-scheme basis. “This is as opposed to the networks being able to take a forward looking stance and invest in upgrades that will allow more schemes to be set up on the basis that they will be charged lower connection costs,” he argued. “This will benefit both large and small schemes and community renewables projects above all who are the least able to argue with the grid connection quotes issued by the network operators. Since network charges are calculated and paid by consumers on a network-by- network basis, such a change would have no consequences for consumers outside Scotland. So why should regulatory powers over such matters be reserved to Westminster and Ofgem [Office of Gas and Electricity Markets]?” A second idea promoted in the Sunday Herald was that the Scottish Government should be given a big slice of the low carbon energy funds to allocate as they wish rather than is at present happening where low carbon energy spending is being parcelled out to meet English priorities rather than Scottish ones. “Scotland is not going to build any nuclear power stations,” said Dr Toke. “It wants renewables, and it wants to be free to be able to choose the options and the levels and types of incentives for those options, which should not be dictated by English priorities. If a Conservative government is elected, then they will decide to ban onshore windfarms, and no doubt most of the money will, according to Tory priorities, be spent on nuclear power with a bit of funding maybe left over for English rooftop solar and English offshore windfarms.” Dr Toke argued that, under Electricity Market Reform (EMR), Scotland has been stripped of its powers to set incentives for renewable energy. The Treasury says that it will not allow the Scottish Government to set incentives that will increase consumers’ bills outside of Scotland, but the Treasury could still apportion part of the funds that it caps for spending on low carbon energy (under the Levy Control Framework – LCF) to be disbursed by the Scottish Government. That would not increase consumers’ bills outside of Scotland, and it would help solve an area of significant political conflict between Holyrood and Westminster. “Even the Scottish Labour Party, who you would think would be a bit more imaginative, has so far not embraced ideas such as these,” said Dr Toke in his green energy blog. “The only mention of energy in their devolution discussion
Scotland does not have much offshore wind energy yet, but there is plenty in the pipeline
‘Super hub’ gets the nod
August 2014 saw a renewables jobs boom for the Scottish Highlands move a step closer as the Port of Ardersier secured the backing of the Scottish Government for plans to turn the former oil fabrication yard on the Moray Firth into a manufacturing ‘super hub’ for offshore wind. In what chief executive officer Captain Steve
Gobbi described as a “major milestone”, the 400- acre facility has been given the green light from the government and its regulators Marine Scotland and Transport Scotland. The vacant site now holds a marine licence and a harbour revision order, together with full planning consent from Highland Council secured earlier this year, paving the way for a potential jobs boom for the Highlands. “This is a major milestone for the Port of
Ardersier,” says Captain Gobbi. “There are few, if any, vacant sites of this scale in the northern North Sea offering deepwater access and the potential to undertake manufacturing, assembly, operations, maintenance and decommissioning from a single location. We now have the all clear to commence site works and undertake major dredging, which will see the port open for business next year.
document issued in April was about Scottish Islands – but even that did not mention how giving more energy powers to the Scottish Government could help them, and the rest of Scotland of course. Among the three biggest unionist parties, the Liberal Democrats appear to leave the door open for enhanced powers for Scotland in the energy sphere,” he said. “There are big differences of priorities between Scotland and England on this subject, so this (low carbon energy) ought to be the focus of proposals on devolution.” Dr Toke said the pro-independence parties are intrinsically advocating more energy powers being given to Scotland, and the Scottish Government’s proposals certainly stress having
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