UK Energy Secretary Amber Rudd has been urged to meet green energy developers in Scotland after the Westminster Government scrapped a subsidies scheme for onshore wind farms.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has already branded the move “wrong-headed, perverse and downright outrageous“, while Scottish Energy Minister Fergus Ewing claims it is “irrational“ and “deeply regrettable“.
He met Ms Rudd for talks in London today and urged her to visit Scotland and meet those affected by the closure of the renewables obligation scheme a year early, with industry body Scottish Renewables warning up to £3 billion of investment north of the border could be at risk.
Mr Ewing told Ms Rudd that the decision “to close the renewables obligation early for the onshore wind sector will have a negative impact on the renewables industry in Scotland and potentially on the thousands of people who work in it”.
He said that during his meeting with Ms Rudd, he had “invited the secretary of state to Scotland this summer to meet with the industry and developers”.
He argued “how important it was for the Scottish Government to be involved in how any changes to the renewables obligation are developed”.
Key to this is the need for the “maximum flexibility around grace periods for developments that could be affected”, he said.
Mr Ewing continued: “This is especially important as the decision will have a disproportionate impact on Scotland as around 70% of onshore wind projects affected by the UK Government policy change are located here.”
