The head of Aberdeen’s Energy Transition Zone has warned the UK and Scottish governments are failing to deliver on their renewable energy ambitions, saying that delays and policy uncertainty are undermining investment in the North-east.
Speaking at an event to mark the Floating Wind Conference in Aberdeen, ETZ Ltd chief executive Maggie McGinley said the future of several major offshore wind projects was increasingly uncertain, with none of the schemes highlighted at last year’s conference yet receiving Scottish Government consent.
Ms McGinley also criticised delays to the UK Government’s Strategic Spatial Energy Plan and its transmission charging regime, warning that unpredictable grid costs were damaging project viability and investor confidence.
She said the region remained ideally positioned to benefit from a £96.1billion offshore wind investment opportunity, but urgent government action was needed to unlock projects, create jobs and secure Aberdeen’s position as a global energy leader.
She said: “All of these major problems have one thing in common; they are within the gift of our governments to solve. And solve now.”
Click here to read the full report in the Press & Journal.