McArthur calls for fairer community benefit rules for renewable development
During a Scottish Government debate on Scotland’s energy, Orkney’s MSP Liam McArthur today moved an amendment calling for the government to strengthen community benefit obligations for renewable developers.
The amendment also calls for ScotWind leasing revenues to be transferred to local authorities to allow strategic investment in the communities most directly affected.
Speaking during the debate, Mr McArthur criticised what he described as an attempt by the government to oversimplify the challenges the country faces in securing energy security, affordability and sustainability, and highlighted the importance of providing support for those working in the oil and gas sector.
Commenting after the debate, Mr McArthur said:
“On the back of the latest energy price cap announcement, which will push yet more Scottish households into fuel poverty, it is clearer than ever that achieving secure, sustainable and affordable energy is one of the biggest challenges we face.
“It is disappointing that the Scottish Government have sought to oversimplify that challenge, and to brush aside the implications of fragmenting the energy market.
“If we want to protect households and businesses from the volatility of fossil fuel prices and drive down bills, the generation of clean renewable energy is absolutely vital. But rural and island communities deserve to feel the benefit of hosting developments on their doorstep.
“In Orkney, where we have pioneered developments in the sector for decades but continue to face the highest levels of fuel poverty, islanders know better than most that too often this simply isn’t happening. That’s why I urged the government to strengthen the requirements around community benefit.
“If we get this right we can deliver strategic investment such as housing in our islands as well as bring down bills. So this is the fair thing to do but also a way of helping drive down the shockingly high levels of fuel poverty that blight our community.”