Seamus Logan MP has called for UK Government action on the Just Transition so that sectors and communities in North-east Scotland are not left behind on the journey to net zero.
At a cross-party debate in Parliament on transitional support for North Sea oil and gas workers called by the SNP, the Aberdeenshire North and Moray East MP highlighted the risks to workers futures as fossil fuels decline and the UK Government fail to act with speed, or indeed the necessary financial commitment needed to deliver new green jobs in Scotland as a result.
During the debate, the UK Government’s current consultation on the North Sea was highlighted, a consultation they say which aims to engage with local stakeholders and communities to ensure that jobs are protected and the North Sea remains at the heart of the clean energy transition going forward.
Seamus Logan said:
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“Failure to deliver a Just Transition that centres workers and communities is now becoming an emergency. We can’t risk a repeat of what happened to the miners during the Thatcher years, in this instance with local communities and workers here in my constituency left on an industrial scrap head as we transition from fossil fuels to renewables. A Just Transition for the North-east must be what it says on the tin – it must just and fair, and it must ensure we retain the enormous expertise, talent and skills that exist in our oil and gas sector as well as making the most of new opportunities and jobs for local people and businesses.
“This means the UK Government stepping up to the plate rather than hoping that market forces alone do the hard yards for them. They should be nudging private business to invest in apprenticeships to get young people ready for the green transition and of course, they need to step up to the plate on funding for carbon capture at St Fergus, a decision pushed into the long grass yet again with an apparent announcement due in June. Given the UK Government have already forked out billions for carbon capture projects at Teesside and Merseyside in England, it seems Scotland’s Just Transition is not so high on the list of their priorities.
“I asked the Minister at this debate, Michael Shanks MP, to give us a clue on what is happening to secure funding for the Acorn Project at St Fergus given any concrete delivery from the UK Government to North-East communities has been thin on the ground so far. While he was unfortunately not forthcoming on Acorn, he reiterated his government’s commitment to a credible and detailed plan, with workers at its core through this current North Sea Consultation – this commitment must now be translated into hard investment and actual jobs and I advise local communities to engage with this consultation to ensure their voices are heard.”
