Kenneth Gibson has condemned the UK Government’s ‘relentless and sustained assault’ on the renewable energy industry as it emerged that more than 12,000 jobs in the solar power industry have been lost in the last year.
A report by Price Waterhouse Cooper shows that as many as a third of UK solar jobs were lost last year. This follows on from a report by Westminster’s Scottish Affairs Committee published on 25 July which found that 5,400 Scottish jobs are at risk because of UK Government policy.
The importance of solar energy in Scotland was highlighted by figures from WWF Scotland last month which showed that homes fitted with solar hot water panels generated 94-100% of an average Scottish household’s hot water needs.
Commenting, Kenneth Gibson said:
“This is just the latest example of how the UK Tory Government's relentless and sustained assault on the renewable energy industry is costing jobs and economic growth whilst risking holding back Scotland’s world-leading ambitions for a low-carbon economy.
“At this uncertain in the face of Brexit, the Tory Government has a duty to do everything it can to provide reassurance and protect jobs and investment. Instead, in this important energy sector they are doing the exact opposite.
“Scotland’s renewables industry is one of our great success stories and has a bright future with the right support. It would be completely unacceptable if progress made in recent years was put at risk by a Tory government with scant regard for Scotland’s interests.”
