Paul McLennan: 'Future for Torness is one that embraces renewables'

When I was elected in 2021, I set up the East Lothian Energy Forum meeting with renewable energy providers and local companies looking to benefit from the growth of renewables, including Sunamp and HadFab in East Lothian, amongst others who have seen an increase in their employment. Torness are also part of this energy forum.

My aim has been to harness the skills and knowledge of the hundreds of people employed at Torness to supercharge Scotland’s journey to net zero.

The future of energy in Scotland is undoubtedly in renewables.

Our renewable energy industry and its supply chain now support more than 47,000 jobs and supported £15.5 billion of output in 2022.

Offshore wind also powered the most activity across the Scottish economy, generating more than £6.8 billion of output, followed by onshore wind with £6.4 billion and hydropower with £1.4 billion.

New nuclear plants in the UK have been subject to significant delays and huge cost hikes, none of which actually benefit ordinary people.

The UK Labour Government’s obsession with new nuclear is absurd – it’s expensive and would take decades to build, far less see any impact on bills.

At a time when household bills are soaring, politicians have a duty to think very carefully about what will deliver on increasing demand – while also thinking about our environment and the impact on the pockets of constituents like mine in Dunbar.

The cost of new nuclear plants is also very unpredictable. In its latest estimate, EDF says its Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant could be delayed to as late as 2031, with costs rising to £46 billion. Let’s not forget, the project was initially expected to cost £18bn when it was first agreed in 2016.

EDF has also experienced delays building the same reactors in Finland and France.

Paul McLennan, East Lothian MSP (Image: Newsquest)

Looking forward, my focus is clear: it’s on clean, green renewable energy, which Scotland has in abundance. Torness can be a beacon of how decomissioning can deliver opportunities for the workforce and deliver lower bills too.

Scotland already produces more renewable electricity than we need. We also have hydro power stations – just one way of filling in any gaps in the generation of power.

At the heart of any energy policy must be the public – constituents like mine in East Lothian and across Scotland, who have seen their energy bills soar in recent years.

Now a year into government at Westminster, Labour has so far failed to deliver on its promises to cut household energy bills by £300.

The key to lower bills is meaningful investment in areas of renewable energy, which is cheaper to produce and is also cheaper for consumers.

Torness has a wealth of skills and experience to deliver on that goal.

I meet with station manager Paul Forrest on a regular basis to discuss the decommissioning as we move towards 2030.

Paul managed the process of closing Hunterston, which I think was managed very well. We discuss the role of EDF, Enterprise Agencies and Scottish Government in that process.

But what of the future of Torness?

I back the Scottish Government’s focus on renewable energy. Scotland’s Energy Secretary Gillian Martin recently stated that the Scottish Government will "capitalise on renewable energy capacity" rather than "expensive new nuclear".

My vision for Torness is one that embraces the capabilities of renewables such as hydrogen power.

Scotland has, in abundance, all the raw ingredients necessary for the production of low-cost hydrogen.

We also boast some of the largest concentrations of energy engineering expertise in the world – including many at Torness – who can harness Scotland’s renewable energy potential in technologies like wind, wave and tidal power, to produce green hydrogen.

Low-carbon hydrogen can unlock thousands more jobs in our energy sector and can deliver clean, green energy as our demand is only set to increase.

I’ve been engaged with EDF’s renewables division to scope out opportunities in this space and I’ll continue to work with a range of stakeholders to deliver a just transition for my constituents, and all of Scotland.

Paul McLennan is the East Lothian MSP.