SNP conference has given a clear indication of support for continued oil and gas production in the North Sea in a further shift in the party’s approach to the sector.
With the party accused of failing to commit to oil and gas, delegates in Aberdeen backed a motion stating that “domestic production, reviewed by climate compatibility assessments, is clearly preferable to importation where the carbon footprint of international imports is greater.”
This represents a shift from a “presumption against” further exploration and will give added impetus to Labour to approve the Jackdaw gas field, and possibly Rosebank, which is mainly oil, both of which have passed environmental tests.
The SNP motion also demanded all revenues from Scotland’s energy resources are put into a Future Generations Fund to grow the renewables industry. It aims to strengthen the supply chain with a clear commitment to reach net zero by 2045.
The motion named “It’s Scotland’s Energy” condemned the Energy Profits Levy which taxes oil and gas companies. It recognised that the renewables sector is thriving “because of the existing skills, expertise and infrastructure in the oil and gas industry”.
Speaking after the vote, Stephen Gethins, Minister for Energy, said: “Today marked a declaration of our unwavering support for Scotland’s energy sector and for our resources to be used to the benefit of the people of Scotland.
“The motion passed today protects our workers, our energy sector and that renewables future we all want to see.
“The scale of the opportunity that lies in renewables can only be seized by harnessing and protecting the existing skills and infrastructure that exists in our world class oil and gas industry of today.
“To do that, every single penny taken from us by the UK Government must be reinvested in a Future Generations Fund to seize that opportunity with both hands – Scotland’s hands.
“For too long the conversation about Scotland’s energy, our resources, has been about what Westminster can take from us, not what those resources can do for the people of Scotland and the vast economic opportunity it presents us as an independent country.
“That only happens if we choose to put Scotland’s energy in Scotland’s hands – that only happens if we choose Scotland through a fresh start with independence.”
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