ANYONE doubting the continuing usefulness of a strong Scottish voice at Westminster should read the excellent report published on March 23 by the Scottish Affairs Committee on meeting Scotland's future energy needs. Media coverage may well be skewed towards the debate over the need for a new nuclear power station, but MPs have produced a balanced analysis starting from the premise that we must safeguard supply and tackle climate change.
The Scottish Council for Development and Industry continues to be a strong supporter of the Scottish Executive's renewable energy plans.
This week we organised an event in Aberdeen for 150 local businesses at which they heard about offshore windfarm developments in the northeast. We are also pressing with some success for the government to pay more attention to the wider benefits to Scotland of pump-priming the growth of green energy by reversing the proposed punitive transmission charges from the Highlands and Islands.
But, if the waste management issues can be addressed, it is increasingly clear that new-generation nuclear power should also form part of the energy mix if we do not want to become overly dependent on imported gas. Nor can we ignore the incredible demand for fossil fuels in China and India. SCDI endorses the MPs' call for further investment in carbon abatement technology. China accounts for a quarter of the world's coal consumption, and exporting this technology would undoubtedly be one of the biggest contributions that Scotland could make to curbing carbon emissions. SCDI argues that investment should come from the executive's - pounds20m green jobs fund.
The government apparently intends to initiate a debate on energy after the general election. This debate should start now and it is one of the challenges we are putting to all Scottish MPs and MSPs in our own manifesto, Policy Agenda. The nuclear case is of such importance to our economy and environment that it should form part of the forthcoming campaign.
Alan Wilson, chief executive, Scottish Council for Development and Industry, 17 Park Circus Place, Glasgow.
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