Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the potential economic benefits of the remote Scottish islands onshore wind projects for (a) the regional economies of those islands and (b) the wider UK supply chain.

The latest economic assessment of the benefits of onshore wind in the Scottish islands was made in 2013. The UK Government and the Scottish Government appointed Baringa Partners (incorporating Redpoint Energy) and TNEI to undertake an independent study to assess whether Scottish Island Renewables could make a cost effective contribution to meeting the UK’s renewable energy targets. The Scottish Islands Renewable Project report was published on 14 May 2013 and can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/199038/Scottish_Islands_Renewable_Project_Baringa_TNEI_FINAL_Report_Publication_version_14May2013__2_.pdf