THE Scottish Government’s decision to ban Underground Coal Gasification (USG) is first and foremost a victory for people power. But it also speaks to the wider energy choices Scotland must face in the near future.
From the outset, the whole idea of setting undersea coal seams alight seemed like an environmental disaster waiting to happen.
Oil baron Algy Cluff, whose firm was set to apply for permission to carry out UCG in the Firth of Forth, didn’t exactly help the case of his aggressive industry when he took out an advert in a tabloid newspaper last year and described local concerns as “irrelevant” and claimed public fears were “unfounded”.
This lack of respect simply underlined the case that Greens and community groups had been making. His company wanted to make a quick profit and had no intention of listening to community concerns.
As well as the immediate risks, burning gas from undersea coal seams would have been a distraction from the amazing opportunity Scotland has to develop more and better jobs in sectors such as renewables, energy demand reduction, and manufacturing.
Now that the Scottish Government has finally made a call on this issue, let’s hope wealthy developers such as Cluff get the message and back off.
In his statement in Parliament yesterday, Energy Minister Paul Wheelhouse made clear that UCG should have no place in Scotland’s energy mix. You don’t have to look hard to see its devastating impact. The incidents Professor Campbell Gemmell mentions in his report for the Scottish Government have been referred to by Greens over many years. There are examples of soil contamination and the exposure of workers to toxins. Failures of UCG trials in Australia have resulted in prosecutions. Professor Gemmell’s report is also clear that the current regulatory framework is insufficient to protect workers’ health and safety, public health and our environment. In short, it’s too big a risk for too little gain.
The statement that UCG will play no part in Scotland’s energy mix “at this time” can be interpreted two ways. If you’re a pessimist, it means the door remains ever so slightly ajar to the technology.
But I think a more realistic appraisal is that the intention is clear and public pressure has worked.
What needs to happen now is that these fine words are backed with action. Robust planning guidance will be needed and it’s essential that comes to the Scottish Parliament as soon as possible. The moratorium we’ve had to date has made use of devolved planning powers. Making this permanent will end some of the uncertainty for communities.
However, we shouldn’t get carried away. The UCG fight has been won but the wider battle remains – a battle to prevent other forms of risky fossil fuel extraction. The Scottish Government’s programme of research into fracking and coalbed methane was due to be published this summer, but now it seems we’ll be lucky to see it this year.
This research is looking at public health, transport, decommissioning, seismic activity, economic and climate impacts. Of course, we know that, if we want to limit the impact of climate change, we have to leave the bulk of fossil fuels in the ground. It’s hard to envisage this programme of research reaching any other conclusion.
By contrast, as Scotland is saying no to UCG, the Westminster Government is saying yes to fracking. The decision to allow drilling in Lancashire is disappointing but not a surprise, given the Tories’ full-throated support for fracking.
The Westminster Government appears intent on ignoring scientific and economic reality. As my Green colleague Caroline Lucas has said: “They claim to support the Paris agreement, but are hell-bent on developing new fossil fuel projects.”
Chasing after more unburnable fossil fuels risks another financial crash. Even the Governor of the Bank of England is wise to that.
I’m sure the majority of Scots would say we stand in solidarity with the people of Lancashire.
As we await the formal planning guidance to embed a ban on UCG, and as we await a government position on fracking, it’s worth remembering that in the debate over where our energy supplies come from and how we use them, we are not powerless to act.
Fuel poverty remains a massive issue in Scotland, and fracking will do nothing to address that. Instead, we should be investing in the energy efficiency of our housing stock, and taking a lesson from other European countries; creating an energy company owned by the public, generating electricity and heat, and revenue for the public purse.
Public and community ownership of Scotland’s amazing renewable resources would let us put energy profits to good use. As we celebrate the dismissal of UCG, let’s keep the bigger prize of a better energy system in sight.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here