Sturgeon demands urgent review of Scotland’s power supply

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is urging David Cameron to review the security of the nation’s electricity supply. She has written to the Prime Minister to seek reassurance the UK […]

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is urging David Cameron to review the security of the nation’s electricity supply.

She has written to the Prime Minister to seek reassurance the UK Government understands the “key role which Scottish capacity plays in ensuring adequate levels of energy security across the UK”.

The call comes amid concerns about the future of a major coal-fired power station at Longannet in Fife, which provides electricity for around two million homes.

Scotland is an exporter of power to the rest of the UK, with 28% of all Scottish generation exported in 2013.

However, the Scottish Government believes Scotland’s energy security is being “compromised” by high transmission charges and the absence of a regional capacity assessment and powers to set a separate reliability standard.

It said Scottish generators, including Longannet account for around 12% of the capacity connected to Britain’s electricity network but pay around 35% of the charges.

Ms Sturgeon added: “It was clear from the meeting of the Scottish Energy Advisory Board today that industry experts are concerned about security of supply in Scotland and across the UK and for the continued maintenance of electricity supplies in a robust manor.

“It is vital the UK Government fulfils its statutory responsibility to monitor security of supply issues and does so in an open and transparent way.”

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