Greens’ Patrick Harvie hits out over ‘hostility’ towards renewables targets

The oil and gas sector is hostile to renewable energy targets, an MSP has claimed.

Green MSP Patrick Harvie hit out at Oil and Gas UK for suggesting Scotland is unlikely to meet a key target for 2020.

Instead, the organisation, which represents the offshore oil and gas sector, said producing the equivalent of 100 per cent of electricity needs from renewable sources was more likely to happen by 2030.

The Scottish Government said the country was already on track to meet the target, and that independent analysis suggests it is on schedule.

In a written submission to Holyrood’s Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee, Oil and Gas UK said: “It is very difficult to see how 100 per cent of electricity from renewable sources will occur by 2020 in Scotland.”

“Scotland’s target for 100 per cent of electricity from renewables looks more likely to be for 2030 than 2020, by which time tidal and wave power could be beginning to make a material contribution.”

The committee is investigating how achievable the government’s renewable energy targets are.

Mr Harvie said many others have said that the goal of producing the equivalent of 100 per cent of electricity needs from renewables can be met.

The National Grid agreed with this and even some “hostile voices” in anti-wind power lobby groups accept that the target “is achievable; it just comes at a cost”, said Mr Harvie.

“Is it a pure coincidence that the most hostile evidence I can recall us hearing about renewables targets is coming from the fossil fuel industry?”