Draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan consultation

I don’t believe it is a Just transition. In my opinion it does not maximise benefit for Scotland in accelerating hydrocarbon exploration and production faster than is physically possible.
The report grossly underestimates the Scottish job figures within the industry, it does not investigate making the hydrocarbon process greener (the current Norwegian model), it does not highlight accurately the large pay gap between O&G and renewables nor the additional expenditures by employees to migrate. It highlights getting additional green energy to the grid (house electricity) but does not highlight the long term issue of heating homes and what will replace gas (or oil in rural communities) on a massive scale within only a few given years.

The plan should include a panel from all parties- oil and gas, electricity, hydro, wind, tidal etc. The transition plan should include representatives from energy with expertise in how the transition can be optimised, rather than MSPs with practically zero energy experience (& thus it is difficult to take seriously).
Drilling and Production of hydrocarbons can be cleaned up drastically as part of the near term transition. As in Norway, fixed installations can (& are) being electrified from shore or wind turbine powered, semi submersibles can be improved with electrification and use of flying wheels used to power battery packs. Boat/vessel logistics should be powered by hydrogen or battery (again, as was done several years ago in Norway). Production and use of hydrocarbons should be tied in with Carbon Capture Storage and the cycle completed by pumping HCs back into suitable wells.
This would use the expertise, increase jobs (well above that in wind farms), be green and support fragile maritime economies in east Scotland and Moray.
New drilling licenses should be granted but only to green rigs of minimum Generation 6…..the UKCS has not modernised any rigs in the last 20-40 years and that is why we are behind in the Oil & Gas sector.

Wind farms do not produce adequate amounts of work. The Moray offshore farm (1 of the largest in UK) has created practically no jobs within the community. Companies from elsewhere come in to lay the cables and track them in land, support vessel crews are flown up from England & there is no manufacturing other than assembly in Nigg.
The very small amount of jobs that are taken by workers from down south will not replace the shear amount of work in oil and gas and for this reason most Moray offshore workers commute to overseas.
The jobs need to be more, inclusive and better paying.
Likewise, like Norway, continue to use oil and gas within the transition and turn the industry green with a goal of producing hydrocarbons with low/zero emissions and capturing the carbon. Continue to use the engineering expertise rather than write it off.

N/A….work in Norway and there the drilling industry is greatly supported by the Government and Greens. In Norway, the drilling industry is encouraged to decarbonise- this is a different approach to shutting it down as is the Scottish Government’s preferred approach. Industry and Government environmentalists are working together there which does not seethe case at home.

There is no direction, dialogue nor incentive in Scotland to make O&G green as a near time approach and as part of the transition.

Engineering- as above, turn the drilling and gas production green, introduce CCS. In the long term build wind farms and hydro. Reduce the emissions from home heating and/or investigate replacement for gas boilers. The majority of Scotlands homes are gas or oil, are older homes and electricity cannot replace all central heating rapidly.

Manufacturing in Scotland. Currently most wind mills are made overseas, they are far from green (made of fibre glass which cannot be recycled, made of polymer/plastic materials, made of steel which requires coal to make, need to be shipped across the sea to Scotland etc). This has a high footprint.
Manufacture here, convert ships to hydrogen and batteries- here, convert drilling rigs to battery packs and electric- here. Build CCS - here.

As we’ll need a lot of battery substances - survey and look at mining offshore and onshore. Otherwise we’ll be dependent on other countries (like we have gotten with gas) .
Regulate industry here is easier than relying on more polluting regulations in the Middle East, Africa, Russia or South America.

There has been no drive in Moray by the Government or council for locals to get into renewable jobs.
None of the renewables companies seem to be based here, they have little/no consultation within the community.
People are aware the jobs are not as ‘strong’ in terms of wages - if the transition is to be taken seriously then the appropriate people need to be attracted. The area (as with NE Scotland) has a strong maritime relationship and this has not been utilised by the Scottish or UK Government. There are little to no opportunities and no trade unions and thus workers take matters into there own hands and apply their expertise in Norway, Denmark, Holland, The Gulf in U.S, Brazil, Guyana, Angola, Nigeria, Algeria, Gabon, the Middle East, Indonesia, Malaysia, Kazakhstan - these are the locations where workers in my home town (population 9,000) in Moray work. This experience should be pried away to back home and applied in the energy transition.

Yes, its a valuable part of the electricity generation. Locations should be sympathetic but offshore wind farms prioritised.
Theres no mention of using wind farms to power gas platforms as part of the transition- it’s unlikely we can replace all gas boilers in the next 10-20 years.

2030 is fine but recognise oil and gas will still be a part of the equation and then taper towards full wind as progress allows

No thoughts- tidal needs to be developed and its effects on the environment and other industries ie fishing

Lack of jobs, lack of renewable companies setting up shop within sight of their developments. High quality jobs.
It does not replace gas but good for electricity production

Yes. Companies, offices etc. Needs to be an incentive. Difficult to say the percentage that should come from solar as I have no experience in this sector

Employ local. Advertise local. Give locals a chance to apply as it currently does not exist. The oil and gas industry is a much more open field of opportunity regardless of background- replicate this in renewables. Provide money to local organisations as they are leasing/getting local land or sea.

Sufficient hydrogen plants along the coast for export too (including biomass).
Ensure all ships etc within Scotland have the incentive to convert, creating jobs and making shipping, fishing, ferries green. The boats used for installing offshore wind farms should be green boats (I doubt they are!) and all ferries in Scotland should be hydrogen or electric (like in Scandinavia)

As above

Incentivise it for farming and HGVs

Site it appropriately- too often these types of industries go to the central belt - use malt whisky effluent and situate strong hubs in speyside, home to the vast majoyof Scotlands whisky and the most logical byproducts to use

Survey for mining materials- offshore mining has commenced in west africa, the US and overseas. Build steel in Scotland and carbon fibre….although a greener option has to be found than is currently used in wind mills.
Use the oil and gas industries expertise in geology, geoscience, manufacturing etc - convert it to renewables

Yes….explore and produce oil and gas but with green rigs and platforms powered by electricity. Copy Norways approach and increase jobs, turn the industry green, strengthen energy security.
This can and has already been done elsewhere- operations can continue if the flying wheels are in place, subsea electric cables, urea used for emissions etc.

Applied on new fields to reduce emissions as far as possible

We need oil and gas as part of the equation for next 10-50 yrs. Renewables currently cannot replicate or replace O&G jobs

If its overseas, do we include the carbon footprint of renewables materials made overseas and shipped from there? No, we don’t. Should be same for all commodities

Yes it should. Brexit has clearly failed and the result is the realisation we are part of a entwined global system. Energy security for rUK and Europe have to be factored in. The cost of alternative energy supplies should be factored in and the footprint and working conditions of the country in which it comes from

Yes, the industry should be encouraged to decarbonise. The technology exists, high tax and no incentive results in the status quo. In Norway our old platforms have already been electrified with government support. It has been done and we are already behind the curve. Increase incentives to the sector and it will happen where production is still decent.

No - CCC should be on the projects carbon footprint, production, logistics etc and not specifically on the product. The rest should be applied to the use of the product onshore, ie encourage green production, encourage greener use of the product In industry, the National Grid etc

If it provides jobs within the community onshore, offshore, boats, helicopters, hotels, transportation etc then it should be allowed. Make the project greener than previous versions.
It a fallacy to not allow a project in our own country, only to ship in hydrocarbons from overseas. That is less green than doing it ourselves with the expertise on our door step and in the most regulated region on earth

No. We should allow new oil and gas projects. It is important for the environment (better regulation here, don’t ship in from overseas, less emissions and can turn the industry greener), important for energy security and important for community jobs from Shetland to Gretna, the Highlands and Islands, where people can commute to offshore on rota shifts…..there is nothing on that scale that can replace it and support rural communities.
The question is still to be answered- most of Scotlands homes are gas/oil boilers- renewables will replace for electricity but what will replace for our central heating? Likewise for transport and vehicles any time soon? It will take quite some time to replace 3 million homes with central heating by electric underfloor or heat pump. And who will pay for the expensive conversions? Oil and Gas will be needed for quite some time and it is better to produce it under our own licences. To shut down our world leading industry and ship the product into Scotland would be a travesty and an environmental embarrassment or disaster.

As above….like Norway we should definitely allow but turn the industry greener.

We have a lot of old buildings and zero incentives to modernise or improve glazing, insulation etc

Trains, hgv’s and farm machinery all use a lot of diesel. Biomass or better technology used. Currently Green = high cost (as wages and profits are reducing)

Ensure its cheaper! Trains are too expensive and the roads in the north terrible, yet people still have it cheaper taking the car!

Engage with oil industry and geology to re use old wells for injection. Do not need to accelerate decommissioning where some infrastructures can be used for carbon injection

Finding correct fields with correct geology, chalks etc for injection. They exist and are in place but likely require workovers etc. also need to get experience back into Scotland where it has migrated.

Definitely an opportunity. Norway is already building multiple sites from Hammerfest to Stavanger….so to be a global hub we are already trailing other countries. We must move quicker or we’ll be left behind

CCS. Green oil and gas production and Geothermal energy - there is no mention of this! Build gas storage as contingency

Geothermal. A good spread of souces of energy - an energy mix. Climate change itself has gone from CFCs, NOx, to now hydrocarbons and ‘global warming’ which is now ‘climate change’…..the science has changed and may change in the future so we need a mix to target this

Use of oil and gas in the mix for security etc. Geothermal energy

It doesn’t consider fully or accurately the effects in the north of Scotland.

As above

Apprenticeships, engineering training etc. It is insane that offshore survival certificates and medicals cannot apply to renewables - this means youngsters cannot cross over industries and have to pay £1000s to training companies cashing in on renewables which they see as a separate bonanza. Offshore certificates and medicals should be transferable as they are for the same environment

It is not Just. It is a hard cut and removal of oil and gas, like a cancer, when it should be part of the solution and transition. It is also not environmentally sound (nor security wise) if we need to import hydrocarbons from overseas and less sound countries or states.
It does not tackle the lack of renewables jobs in comparison to oil, the lack of opportunity in the north, the greatly reduced wages in this sector and will encourage more to continue or expand overseas, ie within shipping, drilling, fpso, platform, construction and seismic vessels. Clearly there is more than 25,000 people working in the oil industry in Scotland. It must be much higher figures in Moray, the highlands, Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen, Angus, Fife alone, let alone the central belt.

As mentioned before. They are misplaced in the global situation of energy, sources and security

Look at the Norwegian sanction of oil and gas projects, how they apply CCC, their strategy on carbon capture etc. They already have over 70% electric vehicles and electric/hydrogen ferries. we have already lost ground and our government needs to look to others and the global stage. It needs to think big, have a proper energy mix and act faster