|
Renewable Energy (Highlands and Islands)
A members' business debate on motion S2M-1674, in the
name of Maureen Macmillan, on the development and manufacture of renewable
energy.
The Deputy
Presiding Officer (Trish Godman):
The final item of business today is a members' business debate on motion
S2M-1674, in the name of Maureen Macmillan, on the development and
manufacture of renewable energy.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament congratulates Highlands and Islands Renewable Energy
Group and the trade union Amicus on their initiative to promote the
development and manufacture of renewable energy structures, whether for
wind, wave or tidal power, in the Highlands and Islands; recognises that
there is a skilled engineering workforce available locally; further
recognises the considerable socio-economic benefits that would flow from
this work to the nearby communities; believes that renewable energy
infrastructure would be better supported by these communities if they
perceived that it was bringing local economic benefit, and therefore
believes that the Scottish Executive should do all it can to support
Highland-based companies in bidding for renewables contracts in Scotland and
elsewhere.
The
Deputy Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning (Allan Wilson):
I join other members who have spoken tonight in congratulating Maureen
Macmillan on securing the debate. As you know, Presiding Officer, I delight
in debating this subject and I, too, commend the Highlands and Islands
renewable energy group and Amicus for their initiative to promote the
development of renewable energy in the Highlands and Islands. Such
initiatives make an important contribution to the development of renewable
energy and to the achievement of our fairly ambitious renewables targets.
As the motion says, it is very important that as much benefit as possible
from renewables development comes to local communities. I assure Maureen
Macmillan and Christine May, with whom I discussed the issue recently, that
HIE is working with companies to bring new firms to Nigg, to Arnish in
Stornoway and to other fabrication yards across the Highlands, so that we
can maximise the local community benefit. Of course, it is not possible for
us to prescribe that developers should use only components that are
manufactured locally. I understood that that would bring us into conflict
with competition law. However, I have discussed the matter with Christine
May and it is something that I am taking up with ministerial colleagues at
Westminster, to see precisely what we can and cannot do to stimulate local
procurement in that context.
What we can do, and are doing, is to facilitate engagement between
developers and potential local suppliers, so that suppliers can be informed
about what exactly developers are looking for and so that developers in turn
can be made aware of the products and services that are on offer locally.
That work is being led by Renewables UK, which is based in Scotland, and
fully involves our enterprise networks, including, of course, Highlands and
Islands Enterprise.
The Executive is also working with Renewables UK, with Scottish Development
International, and with Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands
Enterprise to persuade overseas manufacturers and companies to establish
facilities here in Scotland. There is a specific opportunity for Scotland in
the area of marine renewables. That, as we all know, is a new industry. We
have some of the best wave and tidal resources in the world here in
Scotland—that has been mentioned by most members—and we must pull out all
the stops to ensure not only that developers bring their devices to Scotland
for testing but that they subsequently manufacture them in Scotland, too. I
was therefore delighted to note that Isleburn, Mackay & Macleod, based at
Evanton, announced last week that it has signed a joint deal with a
Netherlands company, AWS, and that it will develop marine energy technology
at Nigg. I reassure Shiona Baird that although the first prototype of the
AWS machine has been tested in Portugal, the second prototype will be built,
tested and, I hope, manufactured here in Scotland. That will represent
Scotland overtaking Portugal.
Shiona Baird: I will be the first to congratulate the minister.
Allan Wilson: I thank Shiona Baird.
Isleburn, Mackay & Macleod is a good example of a Scottish manufacturing
company that is already engaged in renewable energy. It was successful in
its bid for part of a Vestas contract to produce monopiles and platforms for
the Scroby sands offshore wind development to which Maureen Macmillan and
others referred.
Groups such as HIREG also have an important part to play in energising
companies in their area and bringing them together with developers, as
Christine May said. In many ways, HIREG is a model that can be replicated in
other parts of Scotland. In that context, I was interested in Jim Mather's
speech.
Mr McGrigor: On Vestas at Campbeltown, can the minister tell me whether
there has been any progress in improving the pier facilities to allow more
of the equipment to be carried by sea? Is anything happening regarding the Ballycastle to Campbeltown ferry, which could also be used by the industry?
Allan Wilson: I have of late been engaged with officials and with colleagues
in other divisions—notably the transport division, which has an obvious
interest in the matter—to ensure that the tendering process for the Ballycastle to Campbeltown ferry takes account of those factors. I look
forward to commercial organisations that bid for that tender helping
manufacturers such as Vestas in those areas.
We need to ensure that we make maximum use of the skilled engineering work
force that is available in Scotland. That will bring with it the
socio-economic benefits to which Maureen Macmillan referred, not only in the
Highlands and Islands—I understand the interests of the audience—but
throughout Scotland.
I firmly believe that the policy that we have in place can deliver the
benefits that Maureen Macmillan and others have talked about today.
Developers and investors alike have reacted positively to the targets that
we have set, and I have no doubt that the industry is set to grow
considerably in the years ahead. We granted consent last month for two new
major wind developments, which I announced in a debate in the Parliament.
That is a strong signal that the potential for development and manufacturing
in Scotland remains strong.
As I made clear during that debate, we are determined to support the
development of as wide a range of renewable sources as possible, including
wave and tidal power. We are investing seriously in offshore wind power. We
are investing £3 million in the proposed deepwater demonstration turbines in
the Moray firth, the components for which will, I hope, be largely
manufactured in Scotland. If that project is successful, it could create
hundreds of jobs over the coming years.
Our forum for renewable energy development in Scotland underpins the drive
for economic development. It continues to produce results. In FREDS, the
Executive, the renewables industry and academia work side by side to promote
the renewables agenda, particularly the emerging technologies that I have
described, and we have begun to implement the recommendations of the FREDS
marine energy report. The report on biomass, which is probably better left
to another night, will be published before the end of the year. I give Jamie
McGrigor my commitment that I will carry on the work that I did with the
Forestry Commission, among others, to promote biomass as a sound renewable
energy source and to exploit its potential for creating employment in
Scotland. FREDS is also working on recommendations for the development of
the hydrogen economy and what needs to be done to improve training and
skills in the renewables sector.
This short debate has offered another valuable opportunity—which I always
welcome—to underline the importance of renewables for economic prosperity
not only in the Highlands and Islands but throughout Scotland. I remain
committed—as must we all—to supporting renewables, not least because they
help to protect our environment for future generations. With regard to my
new job, they create new jobs and economic activity and opportunity and lead
Scotland towards a much more sustainable energy future. I have great
pleasure in supporting the motion.
To view the entire debate -
Click Here
|
