EMMA RODDICK WELCOMES PRIORITY ACCESS FOR HIGHLANDS AND ISLANDS COMMUNITY ENERGY PROJECTS

Highlands and Islands MSP Emma Roddick has welcomed a commitment from the Scottish Government to give community energy projects priority access to public land sites due for repowering. The move, announced in response to a question from Ms Roddick, will give communities in the Highlands and Islands a better chance to benefit directly from local renewable resources.

The Scottish Government confirmed an enhancement to the Community Asset Transfer Scheme (CATS), ensuring communities receive early notification of in-scope public land sites for repowering and a dedicated twelve-month window to apply before any commercial strategy is pursued. This approach supports communities to become active partners, investing in, owning, and benefiting from the clean energy future.

Ms Roddick had asked the Scottish Government how it would ensure that community energy projects were prioritised. The response highlighted that this new approach is being piloted at ten Forestry and Land Scotland onshore wind sites under fifty megawatts, and that updated guidance will be available from Local Energy Scotland and Forestry and Land Scotland.

The Highlands have a strong history of community-owned energy, including several hydropower sites which generate profit for the local communities.

Emma Roddick said:

“The Highlands and Islands are an energy powerhouse, and the people who live here should be at the very heart of the renewable energy transition.

“We must move beyond treating our communities as passive hosts for infrastructure, and instead empower them to become owners and active partners in projects that will deliver jobs and lasting local benefits. It’s fantastic to see the Scottish Government pushing that agenda forward.

“Community energy schemes already bring vital income to local people across the Highlands, and the enhanced Community Asset Transfer Scheme should help remove some of the barriers these projects face. I am committed to working with our local community groups to make sure this new process delivers for the Highlands.”