Scotland First Minister Sees Clear Imperative to Accelerate Clean Energy

There is a clear imperative to accelerate the clean energy transition and reduce Scotland’s dependence on oil and gas.

That’s what Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said ahead of the publication of a new strategy for the energy sector, an update posted on the Scottish government’s website today highlighted.

The draft energy strategy will set out the government’s policies on the domestic production of energy alongside a plan to reduce demand and build a resilient and secure future net zero energy system, the update noted. In conjunction with the draft strategy, the first Just Transition Plan - to ensure that as the energy sector grows and changes, it benefits citizens, workers and communities – will also be published, the update outlined.

“The imperative is clear. In this decade we must set Scotland on the path to an energy system that meets the challenge of becoming a net zero nation by 2045, that supplies safe, secure and affordable energy for all and that generates economic opportunity through a just transition,” Sturgeon said, speaking ahead of a visit to energy technology research and test site, PNDC, in Cumbernauld.

“The current energy crisis has demonstrated how vulnerable our energy system is to international price shocks, while laying bare the need for structural reform to ensure affordability for consumers,” Sturgeon added.

“This strategy will shape the next 25 years of energy production in Scotland. It provides an independent assessment of the future of the North Sea and shows that as we reduce Scotland’s dependence on oil and gas – as both generators and consumers – there is a huge environmental and economic opportunity to be seized,” the First Minister continued.

Sturgeon went on to note that Scotland is already at the forefront of the clean energy transition and said its green jobs “revolution” is underway.

“By continuing to make the most of our vast renewable energy resource, we can deliver a net zero energy system that also delivers a net gain in jobs within Scotland’s energy production sector,” Sturgeon added.

Rigzone has contacted industry body Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) and the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) for comment on the Scottish government’s latest energy update. Neither organization was immediately available to issue a statement.

According to the Scottish government’s Energy Statistics Hub, in 2019, the latest data set available for oil and gas production on the hub, Scotland, including Scottish adjacent waters, produced an estimated 54.0 million tons of oil equivalent (mtoe) of crude oil and natural gas liquids (NGLs) and 23.2 mtoe of natural gas.

Scotland accounts for 95.2 percent of total UK crude oil and NGLs production and 62.1 percent of total UK gas production, the hub notes.

OEUK’s latest workforce insight report, which was published last year, forecasted that Scotland’s offshore oil and gas industry would support 25,400 direct, 42,300 indirect, and 22,300 induced jobs in 2022. In 2021, the country’s offshore oil and gas sector supported 23,800 direct, 38,400 indirect, and 20,200 induced jobs, OEUK’s report highlighted.  

To contact the author, email andreas.exarheas@rigzone.com