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New 'Public Power League' reveals local authorities leading the charge on energy

The STUC has today published new ‘Public Power League’ showing the progress made by local authorities across Scotland to develop their own energy projects. The league tables, which show Aberdeenshire topping the capacity chart with 226 megawatts of energy, aim to show the progress made by local authorities in creating local municipal energy projects.

The data, which further shows Stirling Council leading on the number of installations at 2,420, builds a picture of Scotland’s energy network as progress is made towards delivering a just transition to net-zero by 2045.

Municipal energy can increase revenues for local authorities or be targeted to reduce energy bills and tackle fuel poverty. At the same time, public control can support a Community Wealth Building approach, ensuring new energy projects prioritise local economies and supply chains with significant multiplier effects for jobs and greater accountability in the energy system.

The STUC, Scotland’s largest trade union body, is calling on all councils to redouble their efforts to capture the opportunity of public energy in their area. The move comes as intensified campaigning begins from the union to highlight private companies lining their pockets from people’s energy bills soaring. Commenting, STUC General Secretary Roz Foyer, stated:

“In 2022, we’ve seen Aberdeenshire and Stirling Councils leading the charge with their energy projects including heat pumps, solar PV and onshore wind. These projects have helped local authorities to tackle fuel poverty in their areas and retain vital income in their communities.

“More public energy is essential as people in Scotland watch their energy bills soar while private companies make billions from our natural resources. By holding power in our hands, we can prioritise lower bills and investment into communities, decent jobs, and meeting our climate targets.

“The People/Public Power League shows which local authorities are grasping this mantle. Every councillor in Scotland should be redoubling their efforts towards greater local authority ownership of energy and heat projects for the good of people in their area.”

NOTES

1. The full league table for capacity and number of installations of all 32 local authorities can be viewed here and here.
2.  The data for local authority owned energy includes a category for projects which are located across several local authorities and the proportion for each local authority is unknown. For the purposes of these tables, this category has been removed.
3.  Figures for local authority energy are tracked by their capacity in megawatts, and per number of installations. Rural local authorities have an advantage in their renewable energy capacity potential, due to generally greater access to wind and wood resources. Local authorities with the greatest number of installations are typically a result of heat pump and Solar PV programmes in social housing developments.
4. All Local Authorities in Scotland are required to publish their first Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategy and Delivery Plan before the end of 2023, which are an opportunity to set out ambition for municipal heat alongside renewable power projects.