ABERDEEN City Council today welcomed a group of MSPs from the Scottish Parliament’s Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee to visit several hydrogen and clean energy facilities around the city.
Deputy Convener Fiona Hyslop MSP, Jackie Dunbar MSP, Liam Kerr MSP, and Monica Lennon MSP visited the community-led renewable energy project at Donside Hydro, and the anaerobic digestion (AD) plant and energy centre at TECA this morning before touring the Aberdeen City Hydrogen Energy Storage (ACHES) site in Cove this afternoon.
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The visit is part of a series of visits to allow Committee members to engage with local governments and partners and view the work that is being done at clean-energy projects across the country.
Aberdeen City Council has been at the forefront of delivering green energy technology, which includes supporting an offshore wind turbine test centre and developing a hydrogen production and distribution hub with bp.
The group engaged in discussion with Council co-leaders Alex Nicoll and Ian Yuill, and officers, about the city’s energy transition plans and the Council’s role in delivering on targets towards reaching net zero.
Aberdeen City Council Co-Leader Councillor Alex Nicoll said: “We are pleased to welcome members of the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee to the city today to showcase the pioneering work done in Aberdeen towards meeting climate change targets.”
“We have a number of first-class facilities generating clean energy in Aberdeen already and are happy to share our experience and progress for the benefit of burgeoning projects.”
Aberdeen City Council Co-Leader Councillor Ian Yuill added: “We have had some very helpful discussions with our guests today which highlighted the importance of partnership working.”
“Aberdeen City Council has ambitious targets set out in the Net Zero Route Map. It is vital that the Council work constructively with its partners, including the Scottish Government, to develop green energy projects so we can make a real, positive difference for our local and global environment.”
Committee Deputy Convener Fiona Hyslop MSP said: “So many of the key responsibilities in helping Scotland reach its net zero targets sit with local government. Issues such as travel, housing, recycling and the circular economy have a huge impact on Scotland’s environment.”
“But we know that local government can’t make this change alone. That is why we want to see how councils across Scotland are working with their communities and building relationships with business, public agencies and the voluntary sector to embed these changes and make a difference to addressing climate change.”
“Our visit to Aberdeen today helps us see first-hand this work in action and the positive work happening in our communities.”