Energy in Scotland: Get the facts

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Oil and Gas

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energy sector employment (excluding renewables) rose 10% between 2006 and 2007 to 40,700, which represents 23% of GB energy sector total
Scotland exported around 17% of its electricity 2000-2007
Scotland has two coal-fired power stations, Longannet and Cockenzie. Together, the two stations provide approximately 33% of Scotland's electricity
around 10,000 jobs are estimated in clean fossil fuels and carbon capture and storage in Scotland
An estimated 21.5 Gigawatts (GW) of commercial capacity could be harnessed from the waters around Scotland.
Your questions answered

It has been estimated that renewables accounts for at least 3,000 jobs in Scotland, with potential for thousands more over the next decade.
The Scottish Government has an ambitious but entirely achievable target for Scotland to provide 50 per cent of Scottish electricity consumption and 11% of heat consumption from renewables by 2020.
Earlier this year Scotland marked a milestone in renewables - Scotland now has more than three gigawatts of installed renewable electricity capacity, enough to generate over the course of a year an amount equivalent to the annual electricity demand of 1.5 million homes, all from Scotland's own clean, green energy. Adding in all the potential energy from already approved renewable projects to those already operating brings the total to over 5.5 gigawatts - enough to meet our target of 31% of electricity consumption from renewables by 2011 if it can all be built and connected in time.
Renewable electricity resources alone have been estimated at more than 60 gigawatts, ten times Scotland's peak electricity consumption.
Boosting renewable energy will also make a significant and important contribution to a sustainable economy.
It's not all about electricity - more energy is used for heat and much of that is from fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas.
More information on renewables is available.

The vast renewables potential which Scotland enjoys is immense, including; 25% of Europe's tidal power, 10% of Europe's wave power
The world-leading European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney is testing new technologies for commercial deployment.

The Crown Estate, which owns the sea bed is in the process awarding leases for commercial marine energy projects in Scottish waters, beginning in the Pentland Firth.
The Saltire Prize is Scotland's marine energy challenge to the world

Scottish European Green Energy Centre aims to put Scotland at the heart of European green energy developments. This hub, based in Aberdeen but working around Europe, will play a pivotal role in the research, development and deployment of clean energy technologies, such as carbon capture and renewable heat.

Scotland can get windy! As a result, onshore wind power has recently overtaken hydro power as the most common form of renewable energy in Scotland.

The largest onshore wind farm in Europe is the 140 turbine Whitelee wind farm near Glasgow. Clyde wind farm, which will be even larger, has already been given the go-ahead.
Scotland boasts 25% of Europe's off-shore wind resources.
More information on wind power is available.

Scotland was the one of the first countries in the world where electricity was harnessed from the water around us. That legacy is still visible - Scotland's ambitious hydro building programme in the 1950s and 1960s resulted in infrastructure which still produces electricity today.
More hydro schemes are in the pipeline and a recent study - The Scottish Hydropower Resource Study - has found that there could be as much economically viable untapped hydropower potential to power a quarter of Scotland's homes.
More information on hydro power

North Sea oil was discovered in 1967 with first production in 1975. The North Sea contains Western Europe's largest oil and natural gas reserves
Aberdeen is the world's second largest energy hub, behind only Houston and over 100,000 highly skilled oil and gas jobs exist in Scotland.
To date, the UK has produced just over 36 billion barrels of oil equivalent The Scottish Government aims to ensure that Scotland retains a thriving oil and gas industry for generations to come by ensuring that our skills are maintained and developed to harness continuing opportunities at home and abroad.
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