Scotland’s incoming First Minister Humza Yousaf has signalled his government will continue to show support for renewable energy.
In a victory speech today (27 March) following an SNP party leadership vote, he said Holyrood will “seize the economic and social opportunities of the journey to net zero” under his premiership.
“A country as energy rich as Scotland should not have people living in fuel poverty,” he added.
Yousaf will replace long-standing First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who announced last month she would step down after eight years at the head of the Scottish government.
He has been described as the “continuity” candidate in the race to appoint her successor, and is expected to be formally announced as First Minister during a vote in parliament tomorrow.
Yousaf was previously health secretary and has also held roles as transport minister and justice secretary during a decade-long stint in Holyrood.
Scotland has been a driver of the UK’s renewables growth under Sturgeon’s leadership, hosting the vast majority of large-scale onshore wind farms and leasing waters to offshore developments via the ScotWind auction.
The country has set a target to achieve net zero emissions by 2045.