In my column in the East Lothian Courier this week I discuss the need for fairer arrangements for National Grid connection charges.
“I asked the business secretary about grid transmission charges. As offshore wind increases in scale and importance, it’s here that much of its energy lands. Cockenzie and Torness are transmission points, even if turbines are sited out at sea.
“There’s room for many more, and the scale of the turbines is far bigger than those onshore, causing less aggravation yet producing more power. Scotland’s ideally placed to benefit, with our weather – which we often curse – being to our advantage. It’s reckoned that 25 percent of Europe’s wind resource blows off our shores.
“That should be a blessing, being clean and plentiful. But ensuring that we benefit is what matters. At the moment grid charges, dictating the cost of transmitting energy, mitigate against sites in Scotland and the north of England. It’s perverse as that’s where they’re located yet it’s made most expensive to locate or produce from here.”
You can read the full column at the Courier’s website here.
