Scotland will only receive “pocket change” from a new UK Government fund to help communities across the country set up their own green energy supplies.
A total of £30 million has been allocated for the first wave of a new fund from publicly-owned Great British Energy which aims to support more than 1,000 local and community-led clean energy projects across the UK.
But the SNP hit out, saying only £1.8 million of this cash to Scotland in a “shameful token gesture”.
The UK Government has already said the scheme would allow both local councils and community groups to “progress plans for their own clean power projects – from solar panels on local buildings to village-owned wind farms and hydro schemes in nearby rivers”.
SNP MSP Jackie Dunbar said that while Scotland was “home to 30% of UK renewables generation and 82% of UK oil and gas production”, it was being given ” just 6% of GB Energy cash”.
She said: “The Labour Party is ruining our premier energy industry while dishing out pocket change to energy-rich Scotland.”
SNP ministers have been pushing the UK Government to scrap the energy profits levy amid concerns about the impact it is having on jobs and investment in the North Sea oil and gas sector.
The party has also accused Labour of having failed to meet commitments made to cut energy bills for households.
Ms Dunbar said: “Shameful token gestures won’t cut it when people in energy-rich Scotland are seeing their bills rise £1,000 higher than the Labour Party promised while our energy jobs are being lost at an industrial scale.
“We were told GB Energy would create ‘thousands of jobs’ with Scottish voters promised the Labour Party would create 70,000 roles in Scotland – absolutely none of that has come to fruition.”
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said the new fund will give people “power” over future energy supplies.
He said: “I know many people are worried about climate change and feel like they’ve got no control over where their energy comes from or how they can actually make a difference.
“Today we’re changing that by giving people power. Whether it’s solar panels on a local library or a community-owned wind farm, we’re letting people decide what clean energy projects they want and making sure they feel the benefits of the clean energy transition in their pockets too.”
Local energy and jobs minister Martin McCluskey said: “What we are doing is putting £30 million into this community energy fund in order to make sure people can have their own stake in what we’re doing in terms of building clean power in this country.”
Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland, he said there was a “very well-developed community energy network already” in Scotland, adding the £1.8 million would be put into a Scottish Government fund to help local projects.
Mr McCluskey said: “We’re working with the Scottish Government on this, because that fund is working really well, so communities can apply for money to design and to own and operate their own community generation.”
He continued: “We know there is already demand for community energy. At the moment there is about 700 community energy clubs across the UK that are supplying about 450 megawatts of power.”
A DESNZ spokesperson said: “Scotland is central to Britain’s clean energy future. This funding comes on top of £10 million from Great British Energy for 71 Scottish community energy projects, supporting solar on the Isle of Arran to wind farms in Aberdeenshire.”