Scot Lib Dems will hand up to £120m in ScotWind revenues to local communities
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has today said that his party would hand rental incomes from ScotWind offshore wind projects to local councils to enable them to support their communities and invest in long term projects - a move which could be worth up to £120 million a year to these communities.
If all of the total ScotWind capacity were eventually installed, this would generate 30GW from 19 ScotWind sites, although some attrition is expected. Rental incomes are expected to bring in £4 million a year for each gigawatt successfully installed and operational on ScotWind sites.
The proposals form part of Scottish Liberal Democrats’ plan to overhaul community benefit, so local people get much more of the money made from generating renewable energy near them.
ScotWind sites are located close to Shetland, Orkney, the Western Isles, Highlands, Argyll & Bute, the North East and Fife. These areas continue to have some of the highest rates of fuel poverty in Scotland. Latest estimates show that around a third of all Scottish households live in fuel poverty.
Under the Scottish Liberal Democrats' plans, Shetland Islands Council would receive up to £9.2m a year.
When the SNP Government sold off the ScotWind sites in 2022, the £700m that raised was seized entirely by SNP ministers in Edinburgh and folded into the Scottish Budget.
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said:
“Not only did the SNP Government sell off Scotland’s seabed at rock bottom prices, they then unfairly seized all the original ScotWind money for themselves and shafted councils who are struggling to make ends meet. Not a penny of this money was allocated to the councils and communities whose doorstep this is on and who have to host all the associated infrastructure.
“The Government must not make the same mistake once rental income from the ScotWind projects starts rolling in.
“Communities deserve to see their fair share of revenues; it’s how they can deliver for their local areas, making long term investments for the future and helping households with the cost of living. At current prices, this could be worth up to £120m a year to local councils, and rents will increase in line with inflation.
“Our plan to transfer ScotWind rental incomes to local councils is a key part of overhauling the outdated rules on community benefit and making this revenue deliver for people in the areas which generate so much of Scotland’s energy wealth.
“People should not be shivering in the shadow of wind turbines; they should be reaping the rewards of warmer homes and better infrastructure.
“Scotland deserves better, and with the Scottish Liberal Democrats you can vote for it."
Emma Macdonald, candidate for Shetland, said:
“These proposals from the Scottish Liberal Democrats could be worth millions of pounds a year to Shetland Islands Council and to our local communities.
“This is money that could be put to use building tunnels and increasing resilience so that no one is cut off when the weather gets bad.
“More than that, it would right a wrong that was committed when the SNP Government took the ScotWind money to plug gaps in their budget created by their own incompetence, reneging on its promise to pass this sort of money to our islands."