Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) responded favourably to the Scottish National Party’s (SNP) 2024 general election manifesto. OEUK’s own industry strategy is calling for all parties to choose a homegrown energy transition.
“We share the SNP’s ambition for the energy transition in Scotland. We welcome their commitments to tackle climate change and also their evidence-based approach to oil and gas licencing,” said David Whitehouse, OEUK ceo. The trade body has over 400 members across the UK’s energy sectors, from oil and gas to wind, hydrogen and carbon capture technologies.
OEUK’s comments come as Scotland’s offshore energy approach undergoes a major shift. The SNP manifesto, while supportive of an energy transition to net-zero, outlined that the extraction of fossil fuels can go ahead following a “robust climate compatibility assessment”. First minister John Swinney suggested earlier in June that he was shifting away from his predecessor’s opposition to new offshore oil and gas exploration.
The change in approach from the SNP comes after the resignation of former first minister Humza Yousaf and the SNP/Green coalition. This was the result, in part, of the Scottish government failing to consent to SSE Renewables’ 4.1 GW Berwick Bank offshore wind farm, off eastern Scotland, in time to enter this year’s Allocation Round 6.
