Scotland is an Economic Powerhouse 2: Energy
Scotland has a naturally strong economy, strong enough to even survive the constant undermining by the failing UK. Scotland will thrive and do even better once it has the powers of an independent nation and can make the most of its potential and use that to boost Scotland’s social and economic wellbeing.
In the past, Unionist parties and their media mouthpieces have managed to convince many Scots that Scotland was too wee and too poor to be a successful independent country such as Norway, Denmark, Ireland etc. But Scots are beginning to see through the propaganda and realise that The Union is holding Scotland’s growth and wellbeing back.
Scotland’s energy sector is by far the strongest in the UK
The oil and gas industry is still worth £25 billion to the UK economy - twice the size of the UK car industry - and 90% of it comes from Scottish waters.
Scotland - with only 8.1% of the UK population - produces almost 50% all the UK’s wind power. Scotland produces more energy than it uses. It is the only UK country to be a net exporter of electricity - much of which goes to the rest of the UK.
Last year, Scotland’s renewable energy industry had a turnover of £10 billion and employed 11,000 full-time workers.
Scotland is already a powerhouse that powers the UK. And it has the potential to do much more. But that potential is being undermined by UK energy policy.
The UK already has a ‘zonal pricing’ system - where Scotland pays more both to supply and to receive power.
Energy production and the energy grid were privatised by UK governments that Scotland never voted for.
The system that has grown up under the “free market” as a result is fundamentally unfair to Scots. Scottish Businesses pay the highest energy bills in the world.
Households pay more than most other parts of the UK for the energy they use.They pay more standing charges and the Highlands and Islands are penalised for not having access to the gas network - average bills are over £4000 a year.
Energy providers based in Scotland are also charged ten times more to access the national grid - while power companies near London are paid to connect.
The UK government has chosen to subsidise nuclear power instead of the grid
The UK’s big election promise to Scotland - GB energy - has just had its coffers raided to pay for nuclear power, soon to be the world’s costliest form of energy, which Scotland doesn’t want or need.
Instead of investing in the national grid, the UK government is choosing to subsidise nuclear power stations to the tune of £30 billion.
The costs are continually rising and are open-ended - long after Windscale/ Sellafield has closed it is still costing £3 billion a year to look after, Decommissioning at the site will go on for at least another century.
Looking at Scandinavian countries, Scotland can see what success looks like
Looking at similarly energy-rich Scandinavian countries who are doing much better at harvesting the fruits of their energy potential, Scotland can see a different path.
- Norway has its sovereign wealth fund
- Iceland has a publicly owned energy company that provides cheap energy and pays money to the Treasury
- Sweden has low-priced energy in the north of the country that is attracting international business to be based there.
Scotland is already an energy powerhouse but it could do so much better if it was in charge of energy policy.
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