The Scottish National Party has raised concerns over the UK government’s “staggering lack of progress” on renewables.
Energy spokesman Callum McCaig MP raised the issue in a letter to BEIS Secretary Greg Clark, in which he pointed to Westminster’s “lack of response to several requests for clarification” over an “array of key issues”.
McCaig said investment in the renewables sector was predicted to drop by 95% between 2017 and 2020.
The numbers should be “a wake up call that action must be taken as a matter of urgency to secure a thriving future for this dynamic sector”, added the MP.
“We firmly believe that supporting long-term energy security . . .should be a key priority for any responsible government,” said McCaig in the letter.
“We call on you to halt the agenda of unexpected, cherry-picked, damaging announcements and policies in favour of a thorough industrial strategy into the supply and demand of energy,” he added.
BEIS said Scotland has a thriving renewables industry “thanks to UK government support”, with more than £800m of projects receiving investment since the start of the current Westminster parliament.
“Some 40% of successful projects bidding for funding from our Contracts for Difference programme were based in Scotland, proving the strength of the UK government’s support to the industry,” said a spokesman.
Image: the SNP has focused fire on BEIS minister Greg Clark (BEIS)
