Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan (ESJTP)

What we have done

Over summer 2022, we undertook a range of engagement across Scotland and online. This included a series of stakeholder workshops, online surveys, digital dialogues, and public events. Throughout the period we spoke to a range of individuals, organisations and communities. We held in-person sessions at 17 locations from Caithness to Dumfries and engaged with over 1500 people.

Sprint 1

The first of two ‘sprints’ comprised of nine stakeholder workshops, each focused on one of the eight National Just Transition Outcomes and associated opportunities, dependencies and priorities. Our discussions ranged from identifying key risks from climate change for our energy infrastructure to understanding how we can deliver an energy transition that tackles new and existing inequity.

Sprint 2

The second sprint comprised of two stakeholder workshops with a selection of representatives from Sprint 1. The purpose of these workshops was to take forward issues and insights identified during the first sprint and develop more detailed and specific input to inform the Energy Strategy Just Transition Plan. In total, 120 participants were involved across the two sprints.

Participatory Futures Workshops

In partnership with the Royal Society of Arts, we undertook two ‘participatory futures’ workshops in Levenmouth and Dumfries, designed to involve members of the public directly in conversations on the energy transition. We sought to understand how the transition might impact local communities and learn from residents’ lived experiences. The workshops were held in different parts of the country to reflect the fact that this transition will be felt differently across Scotland, and are only indicative of the regional variation we anticipate.

CEMVO Workshop

In partnership with CEMVO, we held a workshop with representatives from 15 organisations to further explore how minority groups might be affected by the transition. Participants considered how the transition can be harnessed to promote equity and remove barriers to energy access.

Regen Workshop

In partnership with Regen, we ran an online workshop to examine the role of community energy in a just transition. This included discussion of the state of community energy today; the barriers and opportunities faced; and identifying key, tangible recommendations for mechanisms to support the future of community energy within a wider just transition.

Nuclear Workshops

For each of Scotland’s nuclear sites (Chapelcross, Hunterston & Dounreay), we held online and in-person workshops with workers and the local community. The workshops sought to identify the opportunities and risks presented by the transition in those areas, in addition to potential courses of action.

Transport Scotland Workshop

In partnership with Transport Scotland, we held a workshop attended by 38 organisational representatives from across transport, energy and finance to discuss the just transition. Key themes included transport decarbonisation, infrastructure, and funding and investment for low-carbon energy alternatives.

eNGO Roundtable

Scottish Environment LINK, Stop Climate Chaos Scotland and Friends of the Earth Scotland organised a half-day online event for environmental NGOs to discuss the energy transition and priorities for action. The event comprised of a series of roundtables covering key areas of the ESJTP including the energy supply, high-carbon sectors and environmental implications of the transition.

Energy Workers Survey

An online survey was distributed to people currently working in Scotland’s energy sector to understand what the transition to net zero means for them. It was designed to capture the opinions and experiences of workers across the energy sector to enable us to better understand the opportunities and challenges presented to them by the transition. We received almost 1,000 responses to the survey.

Public Online Workshop

We held an open online information session on the energy transition for the general public. This included a number of speakers from a range of organisations to help improve understanding and enable a discussion on the impact of the energy transition. Key themes included jobs, communities, homes, and the way we travel. This was attended by over 50 members of the public.

Digital Dialogue Platform

An online dialogue challenge was open for three weeks to enable people throughout Scotland to voice their ideas and priorities for the energy transition. Following our online workshops, participants were encouraged to continue the conversation and engage via the digital dialogue platform. We promoted this on social media and through our stakeholder channels to encourage as many people as possible to share their perspectives on the transition. We received 75 ideas in total.
 

Key Emerging Themes

During the engagement process, a number of key themes emerged. For example, the need for adequate skills provision and retraining for ‘green’ jobs was often emphasised. Participants also frequently highlighted the benefits of local energy and community-level action towards the just transition. The need for support for businesses and consumers was widely recognised and the importance of fair access to energy was repeatedly stressed throughout the process.

A full report on the outputs of engagement on the ESJTP will follow in due course.
 

Next steps

The outputs from engagement over the summer are currently feeding into the ESJTP drafting process. The draft document will form the basis of further discussion during the formal consultation phase.