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Energy Security and Net Zero: Scotland
04 March 2026
Lead MP
Susan Murray
Mid Dunbartonshire
Lib Dem
Responding Minister
Michael Shanks
Tags
EmploymentClimateScotlandEnergyBusiness & Trade
Word Count: 4326
Other Contributors: 5
At a Glance
Susan Murray raised concerns about energy security and net zero: scotland in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key Requests to Government:
The UK Government should request UK-Scottish Government talks on Scotland's nuclear policy, with small modular reactors on the agenda, to ensure equal access to jobs and development. Ministers should introduce a consistent community benefit and community energy framework, accelerate grid development, and use the industrial strategy to set out clear UK content and supply chain commitments. They should also support an installer pipeline, quality assurance, and aftercare for heat pumps and retrofits.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
Scotland plays a significant role in energy security and net zero, producing 90% of its power from clean sources in 2024 and transferring 17 TWh of excess energy to England. Despite this, Scotland faces workforce decline with a 51% drop in oil and gas industry jobs from 2014 to 2023, and there is a risk of losing skilled labour needed for a successful transition to clean energy. The SNP Government does not support building new nuclear power plants in Scotland, while Wales is designated for the UK's first small modular reactor, potentially leaving Scotland with less access to firm power investment and supply chain jobs.
Angus MacDonald
Lib Dem
Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire
Do you agree that £9 million in total community benefit for the highlands, and £30 million for Scotland as a whole, is a paltry amount for a multibillion-pound industry?
Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey
The hon. Member has already covered the EPL, but it is important to recognise that Scottish Renewables and Offshore Energies UK wrote jointly to the Secretary of State and the Chancellor of the Exchequer expressing their deep concerns about its impact on the transition. The speaker questions the Government's plans regarding nuclear waste disposal, citing the projected cost of £60 billion for a radiological disposal facility, which is marked as unachievable. The contribution raises concerns about the financial implications for Scottish bill payers and the necessity of such facilities when Scotland produces more energy than it uses.
Harriet Cross
Con
Gordon and Buchan
I completely agree that the oil and gas sector is vital, and that we must secure the workforce in our energy industries, but I would like some clarity on the Liberal Democrats' position on the North sea. We cannot ignore the impact of recent Middle East events on oil and gas prices and supply. The speaker argues for the preservation and maximisation of North Sea oil and gas production, highlighting its accessibility and importance for UK energy security.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
I commend the hon. Lady for bringing this debate forward; she is absolutely right to do so. The devolved institutions' contribution to net zero targets are important, and I am pleased to hear of Scotland's success.
Glasgow West
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairpersonship, Dr Huq. I thank the hon. Member for securing the debate. I intervene in my capacity as Chair of the Scottish Affairs Committee, of which she and many other hon. Members here today are valued members.
Government Response
Michael Shanks
Government Response
Thank you, Dr Huq. There is genuinely nothing I would rather do on my birthday than answer an important Westminster Hall debate on this topic. It is a pleasure and a privilege to be here—cake to follow. I thank the hon. Member for Mid Dunbartonshire (Susan Murray) for introducing this important debate. I reflect on the contribution that Scotland has made to Britain's economic past and the critical role it plays at the moment and will continue to play in the future. The Government's mission is to achieve clean power by 2030, which is about getting off fossil fuels and taking the industrial opportunity that goes along with that. The North sea has been in decline for a long time, with a 75% reduction in production between 1999 and 2024. Although it continues to play an important role, we have been a net importer since 2004, and that will only continue in the years ahead. We published the North sea future plan at the end of last year, which seeks to bring together projections on the future of the North sea, skills and workforce planning, and the opportunity that comes from renewables. We need to look at both sides of the North sea, and a North sea future board has been set up to drive forward actions. On new nuclear, we see it as a critical component of the clean power plans of the future. We need to build nuclear faster, which is why we will respond in due course to the Fingleton review on how to improve regulation. We have also invested in the first small modular reactors at Wylfa in Wales. We need to remove the ideological block from the SNP to build the power we need. We need to improve the grid to connect projects, build tens of thousands of jobs, and make the biggest transfer of wealth and power in the energy space in British history, putting communities right at the heart not just of building energy infrastructure, but owning that infrastructure and benefiting from it. We consulted on making community benefits mandatory and we will announce the outcomes of that consultation soon. We want to see much more shared ownership of energy, with communities having the ability to take a stake in much bigger projects and take the profits that come with it to invest in their local areas. We urge the Scottish Government to move as quickly as possible on making decisions to avoid delays to cheaper power on people's bills. Finally, the industry is working collectively to make sure that the billions of pounds of investment going into building the grid results in supply chain jobs across the country. We must seize the opportunities that come from the energy transition and create the jobs that go along with the infrastructure we are building. The clean power mission is the way to tackle the affordability crisis facing households across the country.
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About Westminster Hall Debates
Westminster Hall debates are a chance for MPs to raise important issues affecting their constituents and get a response from a government minister. Unlike Prime Minister's Questions, these debates are more in-depth and collaborative. The MP who secured the debate speaks first, other MPs can contribute, and a minister responds with the government's position.