Scotland risks losing out on investment after government officials snubbed a US energy conference because of a reported ban on attending oil and gas events.
The Times reports that the UK pavilion at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston, Texas, did not feature any Scottish Government stall this year.
It has shown previous interest in the event as having the potential to generate economic opportunities.
Two Houston-based officials from Scottish Development International (SDI), the international arm of Scottish Enterprise, only attended as part of a “scoping exercise” to see whether the programme was sufficiently focused on the shift to green jobs and industry.
This was despite the Scottish Government agency being listed as “priority exhibitor” on the conference’s website. It is understood that SDI never pushed to have any presence selling Scotland at the event, which was still supported by the Westminster government.
SDI last exhibited at the conference in 2019, with the event cancelled in 2020 because of the pandemic and fears over the spread of the virus in the US last year leading to officials deciding against joining the UK pavilion.
By contrast, Fergus Ewing, then energy minister, headed a delegation of more than 60 Scottish companies to the event in 2014 and analysis by firms who attended in 2015 suggested an increase to their exports of £50 million over three years as a result of attending.
Ryan Crighton, Policy Director at Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce, said: “OTC is one of the world’s largest energy conferences and had a strong focus on green transition this year, so the decision not to share Scotland’s exciting net zero story with some of the world’s most senior decision-makers is surprising and short-sighted.
“Our energy transition and path to net zero will require billions of pounds of investment. Virtue signalling won’t deliver a penny of that crucial funding.”
Jenny Stanning, of Offshore Energies UK, said: “The energy transition is a process and for some overseas nations, that will be open fire or coal to natural gas, with carbon capture and storage technology already in place to catch and bury harmful emissions.
"The Scottish Government should be supporting our supply chain to drive the energy transition at home and overseas.”
The Scottish Government said the oil and gas sector continued to be an important part of Scotland’s economy and had a key role in the transition to net zero.
A spokesman said: “Our focus must be on achieving the fastest possible just transition for the oil and gas sector; one that delivers jobs and economic benefit, and also ensures our energy security and meets our climate obligations.”