There are lots of issues with promises made by Labour about GB Energy – “creating jobs in Scotland” when actually only the HQ is based there, with virtually all jobs actually being created in England. So much for a “just” transition from Oil & Gas for the NE of Scotland. And to rub salt in this wound, the CEO of GB Energy is to be based in… Manchester, England.

Then there’s the fact that GB Energy is touted as a Westminster investment in “Green” technologies – when in fact it intends to invest vast amounts in new nuclear generation.

But possibly the biggest lie is the promise that GB Energy will cut bills by £300/yr. Westminster has chosen to set electricity prices based on Gas generation – the most expensive method. Neither Gas nor Nuclear are cheap – or green.

In fact the cheapest approach is Wind – which Scotland has in abundance. The greenest approaches are Wind but also Hydro – which Scotland also has.

In fact, if Westminster wasn’t making Scotland subsidise England and Wales, we’d probably have amongst the cheapest power in Europe – rather than amongst the highest.

Sources

Carbon intensity: https://electricityinfo.org/carbon-intensity-by-region/#form

Power generation costs: https://ourworldindata.org/cheap-renewables-growth