Scotland’s hydro power faces an agonising march into near-oblivion by the end of the decade, an industry boss warned yesterday.
Mark Mathieson, chief executive of Green Highland Renewables (GHR) said the UK Government had failed to take account of evidence and missed out on broader benefits of hydro energy in its review of feed-in tariffs.
The hydro sector north of the border would “all but disappear’ by 2010 following radical tariff cuts by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), he predicted.
Perth-based GHR, which specialises in the development of small scale hydro-electric schemes, worked with more than 250 contractors and subcontractors from in excess of 20 local firms in the construction of over a dozen schemes in the Highlands last year.
The hydro sector employs about 1,700 people and Mr Mathieson said he expected 80% of these jobs to be gone by 2020 as a result of the tariff cuts announced by DECC just before Christmas.
He added: “The review of feed-in tariffs has been a bitter disappointment to the hydro-energy industry.
“We provided very strong, independent data to DECC on the costs and benefits of small-scale hydro, much of which was disregarded in the final analysis.
“The industry still has an active pipeline of consented new projects, but DECC’s plans will put an end to almost all new projects coming forward.
“I fear Britain’s small-scale hydro industry, and the thousands of jobs that go with it, will all but disappear in the next few years.”
The British Hydro Association (BHA) has written to UK Energy and Climate Change Minister Amber Rudd outlining its concerns.
“We have asked DECC to think again and have requested, via Amber Rudd, a further meeting to explore options,” Mr Mathieson said.
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