Scotland on the right path to reach renewable energy potential - Angus Robertson
Europe is going through a major energy transition. Not only is there a pivot away from dependence on Russian gas supplies, but the continent’s economic powerhouse Germany is shifting towards hydrogen as a power source.
This energy transition, or Energiewende as the Germans call it, is hugely relevant for all of us, especially northern European countries that are rich in renewable energy potential and able to produce much more then we will ever consume. We will be able to export to Germany and other continental nations, which are and will remain dependent on imports.
Subject to planning and consenting decisions and securing the best route to market, Scotland has a reported potential pipeline of over 40 Gigawatts of offshore wind projects – the equivalent of producing enough electricity annually to power every home in Scotland for 17 years – on top of the 2.6 Gigawatts which is currently operational.
Scotland, due to its close geographic proximity to growing centres of hydrogen demand in Europe, being only 700km and 750km from the coastlines of the Netherlands and Germany respectively, benefits from lower potential transport costs than many other potential hydrogen nations.
This proximity, existing connectivity to Europe and Scotland’s vast offshore wind resources, offers the potential to not only export hydrogen by ship, but establish new or repurpose existing pipeline infrastructure to facilitate the transport of hydrogen from Scotland to continental Europe.
However, it is likely that multiple options, including marine vessel transportation of liquid hydrogen as well as hydrogen derivatives such as green ammonia, methanol and liquid organic hydrogen could all be used for export at different scales depending on requirements.
Ports will be key to to the development of Scotland’s export ambitions and so the Scottish Government is supporting further collaboration with key ports in northern mainland Europe such as Rotterdam, Hamburg and Wilhelmshaven in order to develop the relationships and the infrastructure required, ensuring that infrastructures are compatible.
In Scotland, there are to be two Green Freeports at Inverness and Cromarty Firth and the Forth. The Forth Green Freeport bid has focussed on the delivery of an additional 50,000 jobs, generating £6 billion in investment and contributing over £4bn gross value added across sites in Edinburgh, Grangemouth, Rosyth, Burntisland and Edinburgh Airport. Its activities will focus on renewables, advanced manufacturing, alternative fuels, carbon capture utilisation and storage, shipbuilding, logistics and the creative industries.
In addition, Scotland is already working with neighbours and regional partners to reach our full potential. This includes the British, Irish, Danish and German governments as well as Länder including Hamburg, Bremen, Lower Saxony, North-Rhine Westphalia, Baden Würtemberg and Bavaria.
The Scottish Government has funded two North Sea Alliance Scottish-German Bilateral Hydrogen research projects to investigate pipeline infrastructure between Scotland and Germany. Meanwhile the new UK Government has inherited the UK-Germany Joint Declaration of Intent on Hydrogen, which can help support collaboration between Scotland and Germany.
It was great to join fellow keynote speakers from the German, Norwegian and US governments and participants from around the world in London at an international hydrogen conference to discuss the progress towards the renewable energy as a major and sustainable power source. Scotland is on the right path.
Angus Robertson is SNP Constitution, External Affairs and Culture Secretary