Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser will deliver a speech critiquing the pitfalls of the Scottish Government’s current energy strategy during Wednesday’s Scottish Conservative parliamentary debate on energy.
The MSP for Mid-Scotland and Fife who is also Convenor of the Scottish Parliament’s Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee will address current problems in the Scottish energy sector including, fuel poverty, high energy costs and the real price of subsidies for wind power.
Commenting before the speech Murdo Fraser MSP said:
“The number of Scottish households in fuel poverty is approaching the 40% mark and this statistic must act as a catalyst for the Scottish Government to reverse its current energy strategy.
“Scottish heavy industry is suffering due to high energy costs. Energy intensive industries such as glass and paper making are finding it hard to retain their profitability- something needs to change.
“The current subsidy regimen for onshore wind is out of kilter with any attempt to seriously reduce energy bills. Research based on real data puts the cost of a MWh of onshore wind at £183, nearly £100 more expensive than combined cycle gas.
“We have recently seen Scottish Coal placed into administration despite coal accounting for 40% of all electricity generated in Scotland.
“We have some of the highest energy prices in Europe, yet abundant resources of cheap coal are waiting to be unearthed, the Scottish Government must do more to square this circle.
“It is extremely important to have this debate, the Scottish Conservatives have worked hard to develop a policy paper on energy that can work for everyone, including renewables, the consumer and traditional fossil fuel based energy providers.”