ENVIRONMENTAL organisation WWF Scotland has called on all political parties to embrace the country’s transition to renewables ahead of the Holyrood elections in May.
The group are urging politicians to make the change so Scotland can become the EU’s first 100 per cent renewable nation.
The call was made as WWF director Lang Banks welcomed the news of ScottishPower plans to draw up a £400 million plan to expand its pumped hydro power capacity at Ben Cruachan in the Highlands.
ScottishPower wants to double its capacity at Cruachan, which was built in the late 1950s and early 1960s with UK Government support.
Under ScottishPower’s draft plans, a new cavern would be hollowed out of the mountain for turbines that could increase its current generating capacity from 440mW to up to 1,040mW.
WWF Scotland director Lang Banks said: “Increasing our hydro pumped storage capacity would go a long way to helping deliver a fossil-fuel free power system. The UK and Scottish Governments need to work with industry to incentivise investment in pumped storage.
“Independent research has shown that Scotland can have a safe and secure electricity supply with almost entirely renewable electricity generation in 2030, by playing to our amazing natural resource strengths.
“We want to see all the political parties embrace this transition, so that Scotland can capture all of the benefits of being the EU’s first 100 per cent renewables nation.”
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