The Scottish National Party has said the UK government needs to “wake up” to the potential threat to jobs caused by proposed cuts to the feed-in tariff.
SNP MP Drew Hendry has questioned the lack of consideration for employment within the ongoing consultation and lamented how thousands of jobs could be lost across Scotland should the cuts be enacted as set out in the consultation.
While the government has refused to comment on job losses until consultation responses have been collated, last week the Solar Trade Association estimated that as many as 27,000 jobs could be lost – almost 2,400 of which would be in Scotland.
“Tory energy policy that favours support for dangerous and unreliable nuclear power over clean energy is not only damaging for our environment and economy but also the people who rely on employment in the sector.
“With Scottish Government support our renewables industry is going from strength to strength – bringing jobs and investment to Scotland, reducing carbon emissions and performing a key role in meeting our energy needs.
“But the UK government needs to wake up to the potential threat these cuts pose to jobs and should be considering every possible outcome of the subsidy changes during the consultation process and not after it has closed,” Hendry said.
The SNP has emerged as a staunch defender of the UK’s renewables sector since the Conservative Party began to roll-back clean energy support frameworks in early May. Party MP Angus MacNeil chairs the energy and climate change select committee in Westminster, while the party has also provided robust criticism of the cuts in House of Commons debates.