Seòmar agus comataidhean

I warmly thank Audrey Nicoll for bringing to the chamber what is now a regular debate on the success of the Scottish renewables sector.

The growth of the renewables sector is truly remarkable. We are now living through a revolution that would have been unimaginable 30 years ago, and we are still on the very edge of what was thought to be achievable 20 years ago. Despite what Mr Burnett has just outlined to members, that has been done largely with public consent. Public support for onshore wind power remains strong in this country and, of course, developers need to work closely with communities to ensure that that public consent continues.

The analysis from the Fraser of Allander Institute paints a strong picture of progress. However, for me, there is no better way to take the temperature of the renewables sector than at the annual Scottish Renewables green energy awards. I have been going to that gathering for many years, and it felt very different last year. There was a level of confidence that I had not seen before. Some incredible innovation was certainly celebrated, but it was also great to see so many young professionals and young people joining the industry—especially women, who are really driving the change and innovation in the sector.

That confidence is reflected in the recent Scottish Renewables supply chain survey, which showed that 89 per cent of companies now think that renewable energy is the largest economic opportunity for Scotland. Ninety-four per cent of those companies in the supply chain have invested in upskilling, and 83 per cent have recently recruited new employees. It is important that the supply chain is grown here in Scotland as much as possible. The STUC “Mind the Gap” report, which is out today, points to the critical importance of a green industrial strategy to guide that growth and to crowd in investment. I agree with Sarah Boyack that there is a strong role for the public sector in delivering that mission.

I also agree with Maurice Golden that there are exciting opportunities in the supply chain. The repowering of wind farms does not mean having a wind farm on every hill. We can repower some of the existing wind farms—we can even repower Mr Burnett’s wind farm, if he wants, and make it generate many hundred times more capacity than it currently provides to the grid.

There are exciting opportunities for repowering, which we will talk about later at the cross-party group. I say to Maurice Golden that I do not know whether that would require an amendment to the Circular Economy (Scotland) Bill, but a sector-wide approach could really deliver the benefits here.

The growth of onshore and offshore wind will be critical to drive the continued electrification of our society, from heating to transport and beyond. I am sure that the minister who will be responding to the debate is well aware of the criticality of renewable electricity generation in decarbonising the heat in our buildings.

There are vulnerabilities, and Sarah Boyack pointed to one of them. We are seeing a real surge in consent applications right now, and that is not being matched by the capacity in the energy consents unit. I understand that 25 per cent of posts in the consents unit are currently vacant and that there are delays with work programmes, such as streamlining the consenting process. I am well aware of the financial pressures that the Government is under and, of course, we have a national shortage of planners, so it is difficult to fix the issue overnight. However, I urge the Government to look with some urgency at how we fix the consenting delays. That does not mean short-cutting processes or ignoring communities, but it does mean ensuring that consent delays are brought down.

Last week’s Climate Change Committee report was a huge wake-up call, but the good news coming out of that report is that Scottish renewable electricity generation is on track, which will bring a huge benefit for the future. There is a fresh wave of confidence in the Scottish renewables sector right now, and we should be doubling down on that success. However, it is important that the Government plays its role in facilitating that growth, especially through speedy decision making when it comes to projects that involve communities, and that processes are robust, get the job done and get us to the 2030 target of doubling onshore wind capacity.

Joel?

Okay.

Okay. Mr Hughes, as managers, I presume that you are generating substantial amounts of wealth for your investors, but Gresham House itself will be generating substantial amounts of wealth on the back of those markets. How is that wealth then distributed? As I understand it, Gresham House consists of four limited partnerships. Are there any community, tenant farmer or crofter interests or wider community interests in those partnerships? Are those interests involved in management of assets and the market? You could perhaps tell us who is involved with the limited partnerships that comprise Gresham House.

Okay, thanks. Joel Paterson or Stephen Young, do you want to come in?

Thank you.

Do you think that the current projects that are under way and the standards that are being applied will deliver long-term climate mitigation?

Secondly, with the balance of different land use that we have, we could focus entirely on climate, on food production or on a whole range of other uses. Is the balance right going forward, or is there too much of a tilt towards climate, or too little?

We need to get to that end point.

I will come back to a theme that I asked the first panel about, which is barriers to participation by tenant farmers, crofters and community organisations. Can I get your brief reflections on that subject?

I am struggling to see how the huge amount of wealth and benefits that will be generated by these markets will be shared with small-scale community projects, tenant farmers and crofters. How are you making sure that the schemes are accessible to those types of landowners and that they are fully involved in realising and benefiting from them? I will start with Stuart Greenwood.