There should be no lack of clarity on the most important strategic use for the Cockenzie Power Station site.

The initiative has to come not from East Lothian Council but from Holyrood and Westminster, both bereft of an energy policy that could give us the security of electricity supply we need.

ScottishPower will understand the urgent need for a new combined cycle gas plant on the Cockenzie site in order to provide balancing power for the continuing growth of wind power far beyond Holyrood’s declared target.

Use of the Cockenzie site as a service yard for offshore wind farms would be irony indeed when Scotland is rapidly losing the capability to provide the demand-matched power and grid stability that renewables cannot provide alone. The continuing pursuit of wind-sourced electricity will provide England with power when windy weather generates more then we can consume in Scotland, and when there’s no wind we’ll have to import power from south of the Border because we haven’t had the foresight to plan for local balancing capability.

The risk of losing Longannet in the short term, and Torness and Hunterston in the longer term, will further threaten our ability to keep warm as we eventually learn that renewables cannot do the job alone.

Wind generation is like running a bakery to produce a random number of loaves each day that you don’t match to your expected customers at the door. Neither is wise if you want to keep the cost down and stay in business.

Keith Burns East Linton