Mather attacks UK policy as sky high hikes in energy charges near

With consumers numbed by the coming stratospheric rises in energy charges, Argyll’s MSP, Jim Mather, has gone on angry attack on the UK Government’s failure to produce a firm energy policy, comparing this with the Scottish Government’s resolute commitment to renewable energies development.

Commenting on the recently published review of the energy market by Ofgen, Mr Mather, who is also Scotland’s Energy Minister, says: ‘The resultant forecasts of swingeing increases in the cost of energy in the near future are the inevitable consequence of this failure on the part of Labour at Westminster.

‘In the same review the regulators underlined the fact that the Scottish government were driving forward with investment in renewables and had so far achieved more determinations in renewable energy applications in their first two years in charge than their predecessors had accomplished in the previous four years’.

The Minister describes renewable energy investment from the UK government as: ‘a sad tale of missed opportunities’ and lays the blame for the soaring energy bills in the pipeline on that major failure.

He says: ‘The Holyrood parliament has put the development of renewables at the heart of the Scottish economy and society alongside work on carbon capture and greater energy efficiency.

‘This is in stark contrast to the dithering displayed at Westminster, where opportunities to invest in carbon capture have been spurned. They appear mesmerised by the prospect of yet more investment in the uncertainties of new and unsustainable nuclear power. This indicates that they have little stable direction or purpose.

‘The lesson from Ofgem is clear and a powerful endorsement for the need for full devolution of energy responsibility so that we can ensure that the correct decisions can be taken in Scotland  for Scotland.

‘We do not want nor do we need nuclear power. We have a huge and relatively untapped potential for alternative clean and green energy.

‘The installed renewables generating capacity already exceeds that of nuclear and we can look forward to expanding on our role as a net exporter of electricity.

‘By continuing with that – and with research and development  in other forms of renewables – we can confidently build a low carbon future that does not include a legacy of toxic radioactive waste material from the nuclear industry’.

There can be no doubt that Scotland’s experience of the operations of nuclear power stations, Doonreay and Hunterston for example, supports the Minister’s perspective. There is, of course, cross-party opposition in Scotland to any continuation of nuclear power in this country.