Scots face threat of blackouts
Scots energy is ‘not needed south of the Border’
ENERGY Secretary Ed Davey has warned that an independent Scotland faces the risk of electricity blackouts.
He said the Scottish Government’s obsession with ‘green energy’ could leave the nation crippled by power shortages.
And in stark contrast to the Nationalists’ claims, the UK Minister insisted England does not need Scotland’s wind power to ‘keep its lights on’.
Furthermore, he revealed both household electricity and gas bills will soar by nearly £190 if Scotland votes to become independent.
Some manufacturers north of the Border would be hit by charges of almost £600,000 a year following the abolition of the UK-wide system, he added.
ALEX Salmond’s obsession with ‘green energy’ could trigger blackouts in an independent Scotland, UK Energy Secretary Ed Davey signalled yesterday. The Lib Dem minister said England did not need Scotland’s wind power to ‘keep its lights on’, and that failing to provide a ‘back-up’ for intermittent renewable sources could pose a ‘problem’.
Mr Davey spoke out as a new UK Government report revealed household electricity and gas bills could soar by £189 in a separate Scotland, with manufacturers hit by higher charges averaging £600,000 a year.
The price hike would stem from the abolition of a UK-wide system that pays to supply fuel to remote parts of Scotland, coupled with Alex Salmond’s bid to produce the equivalent of 100 per cent of the country’s electricity needs from
‘You need to have some back-up’
‘green power’ by 2020. Energy Mini ster Fergus Ewing yesterday insisted once again that the rest of the UK needs Scotland’s energy resources to keep the lights on.
But Mr Davey, on a visit to Edinburgh, dismissed his claim. The report, written by Whitehall civil servants, acknowledges wind power is exported from Scotland to England, and is used to reduce output from traditional coal and gas power stations.
England has a balanced mix of energy sources it can rely on, and would also build its own renewable projects rather than investing in Scottish wind farms. It could also buy energy on a commercial basis f rom other countries such as France, Holland and Ireland. The UK Government report states: ‘The decision to import energy from an independent Scottish state would be taken on a commercial basis and in the national interest of the continuing UK. With a range of generation sources within its own borders and elsewhere, a continuing UK would not be obliged to purchase energy from an independent Scottish state.’ Mr Davey said SNP policy would dictate the risk of blackouts in an independent Scotland, but warned: ‘They do have a problem if they go completely renewable. Most people believe you need to have some sort of back-up. They’ve got a massive hole to fill with a huge amount of nuclear going offline. They’ve got to tell us how they’re going to do it.’
Figures show that 34.4 per cent of electricity generated north of the Border was provided by Scotland’s two nuclear power stations in 2013, while wind farms provided just 25 per cent and coal-powered stations generated around 20 per cent.
But Mr Salmond has ruled out replacing the Hunterston B and Torness nuclear plants, in Ayrshire, and East Lothian respectively, when they are shut down by 2023.
Scotland currently receives 28 per cent of the total UK-wide support for ‘renewable’ generators, but only accounts for 10 per cent of electric- ity sales. If Scottish families and business are forced to entirely fund the SNP’s green drive, Mr Davey claimed the additional cost would be £1.8billion, adding: ‘The UK works better together, and our single energy market shows why.’
But Mr Ewing said the report was ‘scaremongering’, adding: ‘Without the single GB market, Ed Davey is in grave danger of becoming the minister who caused both blackouts and higher bills.’