Accelerating Scotland’s energy transition

Actions

We’ve supported projects ranging from energy efficiency schemes to the development and construction of energy from waste and combined heat and power plants, from onshore wind projects to hydropower systems.

Projects supported have included the £74m Speyside green energy project to power the equivalent of more than 20,000 Scottish homes¹ and provide heat to a local whisky distillery; the Earls Gate Energy Centre in Grangemouth which will produce energy from waste to create electricity and heat for local homes and businesses; and the rollout of low energy streetlighting across major Scottish councils.

Alongside major investments in established technologies such as energy from waste and energy efficiency, we are also focused on supporting emerging technologies in Scotland such as green hydrogen and battery storage. We believe battery storage has a critical role to play in Scotland’s energy transition, enabling more of Scotland’s renewable energy capacity to connect to the grid and helping to deliver more resilient energy networks. We recently acquired a 187 MWh portfolio of UK based development-stage utility-scale battery storage projects. The portfolio includes projects strategically located in highly congested areas in Scotland.

Our commitment to supporting Scotland’s green transition has seen us submit a bid to develop a 2 GW offshore wind project in partnership with TotalEnergies and RIDG as part of the Crown Estate Scotland’s ScotWind leasing round. The proposed project, located near Orkney and Caithness, has the potential to power the equivalent of more than two million Scottish homes. The project – which aims to start producing renewable power by 2030, represents over £4 billion of proposed investment – with upfront investment to upgrade local infrastructure and supply chains. The project would support sustainable long-term local employment as part of Scotland’s transition to a net zero economy.

Impact

Investments like these will play a significant role in helping Scotland reach its 2045 net zero target, and we look forward to continuing to build our presence in Scotland to help accelerate the green transition.