Minister provokes nuclear war over Scotland's energy future

THE UK government was accused last night of trying to frustrate Scotland's push for renewable energy by bullying the SNP into accepting new nuclear power stations.

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband will arrive on Scottish soil today to warn First Minister Alex Salmond he is missing out on jobs and investment, the day after announcing 11 possible sites for new nuclear plants in England and Wales.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Energy and Climate Change said Mr Miliband's visit to Hunterston B power station in Ayrshire was timed to show "how far we are moving and how far Scotland is being left behind".

The Miliband offensive comes as Jim Mather, Scotland's energy minister, visits the Isle of Lewis, where a controversial 53-turbine wind farm near the Callanish standing stones is expected to be given the go-ahead shortly.

A spokesman for Mr Salmond accused Mr Miliband of trying to "dictate" Scotland's energy policy and of "frustrating" its efforts towards renewables.

"We would never seek to interfere in the energy debate south of the Border," he said. "Similarly, it's not Ed Miliband's job to dictate an energy strategy north of the Border.

"Obviously, they are going down the nuclear road south of the Border in the teeth of very significant opposition, but that's an issue for them."

He said Scotland was trying to make the most of its natural advantages in green energy. "It's not really for Ed Miliband to try to frustrate that," he said. "He should be trying to facilitate that. It would actually help the UK meet its renewable targets."

The spokesman added: "He's cutting off his nose to spite his face."

He also called on Westminster to support renewables in Scotland by resolving an "unfair" system of charges that means companies generating electricity in Scotland have to pay far more for it to be transmitted than those in England.

The SNP administration has consistently ruled out any new nuclear power stations in Scotland after the closure of the existing two plants – Hunterston and Torness in East Lothian. Instead, it intends to focus on renewables.

However, pressure from south of the Border has escalated over recent months and today's attack on Scottish energy policy, as the UK Cabinet arrives in Scotland for a series of talks, will provoke renewed calls for the SNP to change its stance.

Ahead of his visit, Mr Miliband yesterday challenged the SNP to reverse its opposition to nuclear power "for the sake of the planet as well as jobs".

Mr Miliband said: "Credible solutions to the challenge of climate change require we use the full range of low-carbon fuels. Even previous opponents of nuclear power have accepted that it is wrong to rule out new nuclear in these circumstances."

He added: "Two new nuclear stations alongside existing ones in Hunterston and Torness would mean up to 5.6 billion investment and nearly 9,000 jobs created in building them.

"So, for the sake of the planet as well as jobs, I hope the SNP will reverse their opposition to new nuclear power."

A spokeswoman for the Department of Energy and Climate Change told The Scotsman that Mr Miliband's visit had been timed to coincide with the announcement on sites for new nuclear stations south of the Border. It was "to look at the power situation and to talk about the position of Scotland versus England and Wales on nuclear", she said.

She added that it was intended to "show how far we are moving and how far Scotland's being left behind".

Mr Mather was quick to emphasise yesterday that he was focusing on renewable sources of energy rather than nuclear power.

"Scotland simply doesn't want or need dangerous and unnecessary new nuclear power stations, with soaring decommissioning costs and the unresolved problem of storage of radioactive waste that burdens future generations for thousands of years," he said.

"Every pound invested in new nuclear power in other parts of the UK is a pound less on developing renewable and clean energy technology."

He added that the SNP administration was focusing on developing Scotland's "real strengths" – harnessing the country's vast renewable energy potential.

"With around a quarter of Europe's wave and tidal energy potential, as well as massive wind power opportunities, there are fantastic economic and employment opportunities, and the Scottish Government recently announced plans to create 16,000 green energy-related jobs in Scotland over the next decade," Mr Mather said.

"Renewable technologies, including wind, water, biomass, wave and tidal, backed up by clean thermal base-load, can meet our energy needs many times over."

Patrick Harvie, leader of the Scottish Greens, said: "It's clearly provocative for (Mr Miliband] to announce on one day this list of potential sites for England and Wales, and then on the following day to come up to Scotland and start posturing on matters that are for the devolved administration to decide on."

Duncan McLaren, chief executive of Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: "I think Ed Miliband and all the other British Cabinet ministers who are advocating nuclear power in Scotland should think carefully how they would like it if Jim Mather went to Westminster and said how wrong they were and how they should do much more to support renewable energy than they are doing.

"We think the Scottish Government is making exactly the right choice, and the Labour government is seeking to undermine them, in the misplaced belief that it will obtain political advantage."

In Mr McLaren's view, there is a "stark" choice between nuclear and renewables. "Across the energy system, we have limited grid capacity. We have limited time and effort in the planning system. We have limited trained engineers and we have limited money.

"We have seen it in the past: when nuclear power is prioritised, renewables and energy efficiency get downgraded, and these are the things we should be doing first," he said.

However, Keith Parker, chief executive of the Nuclear Industry Association, said a mix of energy options was necessary – and that must include nuclear.

He said: "Nuclear provides low-carbon, strategically secure, base-load electricity. It is the only low-carbon base-load option and provides 80 per cent of the UK's low-carbon electricity."

Two men, two very different views of future

THEIR diaries for today look very different.

One will spend the day exalting the potential of nuclear power in Ayrshire, while the other will be championing green energy in the Western Isles.

The actions of UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband and Scottish energy minister Jim Mather show the widening contrast between the policies of Westminster and Holyrood.

This morning, Mr Miliband will be at Hunterston B power station continuing Westminster's campaign against the SNP government's decision to ban any new nuclear plants in Scotland. Mr Mather will be on Lewis, trying to persuade the local community of the potential of renewable energy to transform their economy.

Mr Miliband believes nuclear must be used to provide clean base-load power, and he thinks it can provide a huge boost to the economy by creating many thousands of jobs.

However, the Scottish Government is convinced its key opportunities lie in focusing on renewables, alongside "clean" fossil-fuel power stations.

It thinks pumping resources into nuclear will detract from efforts to build up renewables in Scotland.

In an ideal world, this makes perfect sense: Scotland has some of the best conditions in the world for renewable energy. It could become an exporter of green electricity, meeting renewable targets and boosting the economy at the same time.

Renewables could be the North Sea oil of the future, but more of the benefits could come to Scotland.

However, there remain many question marks over the use of renewable energy in Scotland.

It is an intermittent source of power, providing an electricity supply only 30 per cent of the time.

And other than nuclear power, there is only one option for providing clean base-load power to back up renewables: carbon capture and storage.

The trouble is, this technology, to capture the carbon emissions from power stations, does not yet exist on a commercial scale.

Another huge problem is that wind farms – the most advanced type of green energy technology – are often hugely unpopular. And thousands more turbines will need to be built to meet renewable energy targets.

Often the most windy sites are also the most wild, beautiful and treasured in Scotland.

Parts of Lewis, where Mr Mather will be visiting today, are a perfect example. Attempts to build wind farms there in the past have sparked opposition from more than 10,000 people.

The lack of grid infrastructure and high transmission charges are just a few more of the issues facing the development of renewable energy.

So, whether Alex Salmond's resolve turns out to be good for Scotland remains to be seen. What is certain is the debate is unlikely to end any time soon.