Even though the Scotland’s First Minister is planning to meet 100 % of Scotland’s electricity needs from renewable energy, North Sea industry officials think this will be hard to achieve.
The leaders from the oil and gas industry will tell MSPs this week that the renewable energy plans are likely to be ten years late, writes the Scotsman news site.
Scotland’s electricity system would need to grow four times to meet the demands of recent winters and is unlikely the capital investment for this expansion will be raised.
A submission from Oil and Gas UK states: “It is very difficult to see how 100 per cent of electricity from renewable sources will occur by 2020 in Scotland. It will require an exceptionally-high rate of investment in both renewable generating capacity and expanding the grid southwards. “
“As with the UK wide target of 15 per cent of all energy coming from renewable sources by 2020, Scotland’s target for 100 per cent of electricity from renewables looks more likely for 2030 than 2020, by which time tidal and wave power could be beginning to make a material contribution.”
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Offshore WIND staff, June 11, 2012; Image: scotland