Scottish small businesses report gloomy outlook
A majority of small Scottish firms expect business conditions to worsen, according to a quarterly report.
Scotland
Budget 2016: Scottish Government reacts
George Osborne has announced a package of measures worth £1billion to help the North Sea oil and gas industry.
Shetland tidal array exports power to grid for first time
A tidal project in the Scottish islands has exported power to the grid for the first time. The Shetland Tidal Array - which consists of three 100 kW turbines, with more planned in following phases - is one of the world’s first in-sea tidal arrays.
ETI launches new project assessing carbon dioxide storage
The ETI (Energy Technologies Institute) has launched a new project which will study the impact of removing brine from undersea stores which could be used to store carbon dioxide. The project will be carried out by Heriot-Watt University with £200,000 worth of funding.
Dulas starts further construction on river hydro schemes
Renewable energy developer Dulas has begun construction on two medium river hydro schemes in Central Scotland.
Scottish voters back stronger renewable policies
Renewables has been tipped as the energy source which the Scottish Government should look to prioritise in the future.
Weir Group warns of challenging year as it lists £199.8million loss
Scottish engineering firm Weir Group has warned 2016 would be "another challenging year" as it reported a substantial pretax loss in 201.
Almost 10,000 jobs lost in North Sea oil and gas sector
Almost 10,000 workers have now lost their jobs in the North Sea oil and gas sector, according to Energy Minister Fergus Ewing.
PM claims full fiscal devolution would have caused “financial calamity” for Scotland
Prime Minister David Cameron has claimed Scotland would have been weeks away from a "financial calamity" if full fiscal devolution had been given to the country. Cameron said new funding arrangements for Scotland needed to be completed in a "fair and reasonable way" after the SNP asked why the UK Treasury was proposing plans that may cost Scotland £3billion.
Melfort Campbell: Scotland’s oil and gas sector must adapt to survive
As Scotland’s oil and gas sector faces the difficult road ahead, a refresh of the Industry Leadership Group (ILG) strategy gives us renewed hope and focus for the future.
Wind power provided 48% of Scotland’s energy needs in January
Wind power provided almost half of Scotland’s entire energy needs last month, new research has shown.
First Minister to unveil £12m fund to help North Sea workers
Workers who face losing their jobs in the oil and gas sector will be helped to move into other employment in the energy industry and manufacturing through a new £12million fund announced by Scotland’s First Minister.
Scottish hydro-power wipeout predicted
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.
SNP accused of failing in “most basic duty” after oil price decline
Scottish Labour have claimed the Scottish Energy Jobs Taskforce does not "even keep track" of whether any energy jobs have been saved since the global decline in oil price. The criticism comes after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon revealed the taskforce, which was set up last year by the Scottish Government, would be continuing indefinitely.
Scottish councils to share £14m energy efficiency funding
A £14 million fund is to be shared by local authorities to make homes, public buildings and businesses more energy efficient, Social Justice Secretary Alex Neil has announced. Scotland’s Energy Efficiency Programme (Seep) will help improve warmth in buildings and homes, cut energy bills and work towards reaching climate-change targets.
Confidence among small businesses falls to lowest levels in three years
Scottish small business confidence has fallen to its lowest level in three years amid fears the oil industry crisis has filtered down to local suppliers, according to an industry body.
Report says wider Scottish economy affected by low oil price
A report has claimed the downturn in the oil and gas industry could be having a wider impact on the Scottish economy. The Scottish Chambers of Commerce said the effect of lower oil prices could be extending beyond businesses operating directly in the sector. The latest quarterly report received responses from 477 firms in Scotland.
Les Linklater: Four by four
It’s hard to believe that four years ago, I stepped into the role here at Step Change in Safety. Like my New Year’s resolutions, my hopes and the reality didn’t always align. Since day one, there have been many successes and Step Change’s strategic priorities have evolved. But, sadly, there have been tragic and stark reminders of just how much is still to be done.
Unions to take steel industry jobs protest to Brussels
Unions are planning a protest next month outside a conference in Brussels to discuss the problems being faced by energy-intensive industries, including steel. Thousands of jobs have been axed in the UK in recent months as steel firms struggle with high energy prices and cheap Chinese imports.
Scottish economy grew by just 0.1% in third quarter of 2015
Scotland’s economy grew by just 0.1% in the third quarter of last year, new figures have revealed. Deputy First Minister John Swinney said the latest GDP data showed output had increased between July and September despite the “significant challenge” to key export markets. Over the year, Scottish GDP increased by 1.7% - but its growth was weaker than that for the UK as a whole, where increases of 0.4% and 2.1% were recorded over three and 12 months respectively.
Fergus Ewing: End the trash talk
There is little doubt that the ongoing period of low global prices poses significant challenges for the oil and gas sector and our thoughts remain with the workers, such as those facing redundancy at BP, who have been affected.
Campaigners call for ‘ambitious’ renewables target
Scotland should set a new “ambitious” target of generating half of its total electricity, heat and transport demand from renewables by 2030, according to campaigners. It would require a threefold increase in current green energy generation, Scottish Renewables said as it launched a “manifesto” for political parties to adopt ahead of May’s Holyrood election.
Oil price fall dents Scotland’s economic growth
The Scottish economy slowed in the final quarter of 2015 with confidence in international markets and a drop in the oil industry constraining growth, according to economic researchers.
Fuel poverty funding cut by 10%, says Labour
The Scottish Government has cut funding for fuel poverty by more than a 10th, according to Labour.
Fresh bid for windfarm attracts more than 1,000 objection letters
The developer behind plans to site huge turbines on a Moray landmark is making a fresh bid to win backing for its scheme.