Future Energy Needs (Scotland)

Part of the debate – in Westminster Hall at 3:53 pm on 1 December 2005.

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Photo of Danny Alexander Danny Alexander Shadow Spokesperson (Work and Pensions) 3:53, 1 December 2005

I think it will make a substantial contribution, not least because, for example, in the Pentland firth between the north coast of the highlands and the Orkney islands, we have one of the greatest natural power houses in Europe for the generation of tidal and wave energy. As I said earlier, the Scottish Executive recently announced a new generation of renewables obligation certificates for those forms of generation and I hope that that will be followed up at Westminster. So far, the Government in Westminster have not chosen to offer such incentives.

It is worth referring to the European marine energy testing centre that has been developed in Orkney for the pursuit of such technologies, which offers an enormous opportunity for those developments. I hope that the energy review that the Government have recently announced will not be a simple-minded dash for nuclear. I hope that due emphasis will be given to the technologies that I mentioned.

Recommendation 7 of the Committee's report sought to address the transmission infrastructure, which is very important to us in Scotland. The Committee made a specific recommendation about the charging regime, calling for it to be reviewed. I welcome the announcement that was made during the debate on the private Member's Bill of Mark Lazarowicz regarding the time scale for the cap—