Alister Jack dismisses Scottish renewable industry
Scottish Secretary Alister Jack has undermined the potential of Scottish renewable energy by admitting the UK Government is leaving its future to market forces.
In a comment in Scottish Questions at Westminster, Jack said that offshore wind turbines being built in Indonesia for Scottish sites is ‘the market economy at work’.
Responding, Scottish Green energy spokesperson Mark Ruskell said: “Westminster holds all the cards when it comes to supporting our renewable energy industry, and government has made promises to do so through Contracts for Difference. Yet here is the Scottish Secretary more or less admitting they don’t intend to, happy to outsource the supply chain elsewhere.
“In a climate emergency we cannot afford to leave the future of our communities to the cold dead hand of the market. There should be conditionality in place to ensure vital work building a sustainable future goes to places like the BiFab yard in Fife. Until Scotland achieves independence, we need Westminster to wake up to what is needed.”