Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government’s consistently supportive approach to renewable energy has been a key factor in maintaining investor confidence and enabling the growth of the sector. This support is provided in a variety of ways, including ambitious renewable energy targets; funding to support renewable energy projects and technology development; a planning policy which strikes a careful balance between utilising Scotland's significant renewable energy resources whilst protecting our finest scenic landscapes, natural heritage and residential amenity; and a well-developed structure of partnership with the Scottish agencies, the private sector and academia.

The impact of this support can be seen in a number of ways. For example, provisional figures show that 56.7% of gross electricity consumption came from renewable sources in Scotland in 2015, and we reached our 2020 target for community and locally owned renewables five years early.

Offshore renewables represent a huge opportunity for Scotland, nowhere more so than in the Highlands and Islands where, for example, the development of the £2.6 billion Beatrice Offshore Wind farm by SSE and its partners will bring huge benefit to the Moray Firth and beyond. The project is expected to bring a total of £6 million in Community Benefits and secure around 100 direct and indirect jobs as well as associated supply chain opportunities.

Finally, in January the Scottish Government will publish a new Climate Change Plan, which together with our new Energy Strategy and forthcoming Climate Change Bill, will set out an ambitious long-term framework for a truly integrated approach to delivering Scotland’s future energy system and reaffirm our commitment to supplying clean energy from renewable sources.