Committee calls on government to support Scottish renewables sector

Article summary

The Scottish Affairs Committee has published a report on renewable energy in Scotland, which suggests that transmission charges and grid investment are not equally shared across the UK, hampering the development of the Scottish renewables sector. The report found that some renewable projects in England and Wales have a competitive advantage as they are paid to connect to the grid, whereas Scottish projects must pay to connect to the grid. In addition, the annual review of transmission charges was found to impact business cases and makes long-term investment decisions less appealing. The Committee is therefore calling for an urgent review of Scotland’s grid in order for changes to be identified by the end of 2022, which will in turn aid Scotland in meeting its target of reaching net zero by 2045. This review, which should be conducted by Ofgem, should also consider the financial burden of transmission charges and its long-term impact on net-zero targets in Scotland. In...