Ahead of his speech today at the Liberal Democrat conference in Glasgow, Ed Davey has proposed a strike price of £115/MWh for electricity produced by onshore wind in the Scottish Islands.Â
It is hoped the strike price, which is £15/MWh above the draft strike price for onshore wind in the rest of the UK, will provide an incentive for renewables companies to invest in the Scottish Islands, with the additional cost reflecting the “unique” circumstances and potential of the area.
Davey said: “This is good news for the future of renewables in Scotland and this unique solution will pave the way for more investment in green energy.
“An independent report showed that the specific circumstances of the Scottish lslands required a different approach that breaks the mould of the wider UK strike price mechanism, and we are delivering that.
“This was possible because of a strong partnership between Westminster, Holyrood and the Island Councils.
“Thanks to consumers across the whole of the United Kingdom, we can offer this special higher strike price, so Britain gets more green energy, so consumers’ bills in Scotland are kept affordable and so the green economy of the Islands grows.
“It is now down to investors to come forward and work with us to ensure the Scottish Islands share in renewable technology and UK-wide green growth.”