Greens call for Scottish Government to decide on climate-wrecking Peterhead plant ahead of election
Greens call for Scottish Government to decide on climate-wrecking Peterhead plant ahead of election
With only weeks until parliament dissolves, Scottish Green MSP Maggie Chapman has called on the Scottish Government to end the uncertainty and make its position clear.
For 4 years, Scottish Government Ministers have been considering plans by SSE Thermal and Equinor to build a new climate-wrecking plant at Peterhead Power Station. This would be in addition to the existing facility that is already Scotland’s single biggest polluter.
The application is for a new power station which would be equipped with carbon capture technology (CCS), a controversial and experimental technology that has consistently failed to live up to its lofty promises.
Maggie Chapman MSP said:
“Year after year, Peterhead power station has been Scotland’s largest source of climate pollution, yet the government has been sitting on an application that would make it even worse.
“There are only weeks until parliament dissolves. The Scottish Government needs to end the uncertainty and rule out this polluting project for good.
“If this goes ahead it would lock Scotland into decades more fossil fuel dependency, based on unproven, expensive carbon capture and storage schemes that simply cannot deliver the rapid emissions cuts we need - all at a time when we should be accelerating the transition to renewables.
“Instead of expanding what is already Scotland’s most polluting site, the Scottish Government should be investing in long-term green jobs and grasping the huge opportunities we have.
“With proposals that would expand fossil fuel production and prolong the life of high-polluting infrastructure like Peterhead, doubling down on gas now would be a disaster for our future climate.
Maggie added:
“When the SNP declared a climate emergency in 2019, they promised urgent action but instead have retreated from those commitments, pouring fuel on the fire and burning through Scotland’s climate commitments.
“As we head towards this election, people across Scotland are demanding stronger climate action, lower energy bills and a future built on clean power, not more pollution. We must not waste the money we have on dirty, unproven technologies, but should be investing in clean power for our future.
“Electing more Green MSPs will mean having voices in Parliament who will stand up to fossil fuel giants, defend our climate and strengthen Scotland’s call to invest in secure and long-term green jobs.”