Talking-up Scotland

As you know, we’re increasingly producing too much energy from our wind farms and marine turbines:

‘Scotland Sets [Another] New Wind Power Record’

‘Wind farms powered 4 million Scottish homes last month’ and there are only 2.4 million ‘households’ in Scotland

When this happens, storage is the problem in matching demand to the fluctuations in supply. However, a new large-scale battery storage facility, the first in the UK, is to be built in Broxburn by the Trig company.

The Broxburn facility will story 20MW which is off course only a fraction of our daily needs of around 1 million MW but may herald the start of a trend.  Trig, as-a-whole, will have 774MW across Europe.

https://www.pressreader.com/uk/the-scotsman/20170815/282123521615400

https://www.energyvoice.com/otherenergy/147529/trig-lands-scottish-renewable-energy-storage-unit-20m/

From the gov.scot site this good news for employment in the town and surrounding areas and presumably our balance of trade too:

‘First Minister Nicola Sturgeon welcomed GSK’s (GlaxoSmithKline) commitment to Montrose as she opened their new £44 million aluminium salts facility. The site produces ingredients for vaccines for illnesses including tetanus, pneumonia and whooping cough.’

So, this looks a strong commitment to the workforce in the town which, without having the facts, I’d have thought needed the jobs. GSK Montrose employ 450, these will be kept plus 15 and with a further 150 contractors needed for the build. Montrose was chosen for the investment, according to GSK, because:

‘We have the right mix of people and skills. We know Scotland is a good place to conduct research, development and manufacturing, and we’re pleased the Scottish Life Sciences Strategy demonstrates a shared commitment between the industry and Scottish Government to ensuring Scotland remains a great place to work in life sciences. Scottish Enterprise has worked closely with GSK for a number of years, helping them to secure a skilled workforce capable of harnessing the newest technologies to research, develop and manufacture innovative medicines. This expansion is testament to the strength of Scotland’s life sciences sector and to the confidence international companies have in the skill and value of the Scottish workforce, and we look forward to continuing to work with GSK to support its growth in Scotland.’

The plant will produce sterile aluminium salts which had previously to be imported.

https://news.gov.scot/news/new-gbp-44m-facility-at-gsk-montrose

So, once more, it looks like the Scottish Government through Scottish Enterprise is doing its job in helping to protect and grow employment opportunities as it has done in other places recently. See these few recent examples from many:

£5 million Scottish Government investment helps Peterhead Port win major offshore wind contract

Scottish Government invests a further £1.5 million in offshore wind technology as our renewables energy generation booms.

Scottish Government awards 13 firms £3.5m in new grants to maintain push for growth in food and drink sales

Scottish Government invests in Glasgow’s second new distillery as Scottish Whisky sales climb toward £1 billion and Scotland produces 28% of all UK food and drink exports

 

 

© letsrecycle.com

This headline from EnergyVoice announces the building of a new re-processing plant near Kilwinning in Ayrshire. Recycling of 20 000 tonnes per annum will start in November this year.

At the moment, the UK has to send millions of batteries to re-cycling plants in Northern Europe, at great cost and environmental risk.

This one plant will make the UK 100% self-sufficient in battery recycling.

https://www.energyvoice.com/otherenergy/147661/scotland-see-uks-first-battery-recycling-facility/

Generating 20MW (5 000 homes), the farm will cover 47 hectares (40 football pitches) on the Errol Estate in Perthshire. The land will still be used for grazing and hedge rows will be unaffected to preserve the wildlife diversity in the area.

I have previously expressed surprise that solar was a ‘goer’ in rainy, cloudy Scotland but it seems North-East Scotland has relatively clear skies and long days making it more viable than parts of the UK further south.

There are also plans for an even bigger 50MW field near Elgin. See this explanation:

‘Installing solar power in Scotland is beneficial even though it doesn’t receive as much solar irradiation as somewhere like Africa, India or Southern Europe. Looking at the solar irradiation map, we can see that the solar irradiance in the UK and Scotland is not too dissimilar to Germany – the largest photovoltaic (PV) market in the world, which had 24.7 GW of PV installed at the end of 2011 (European Photovoltaic Industry Association: EPIA Market Report 2011).’

in:

Install solar energy in Scotland? After the month we’ve just had?

http://www.insider.co.uk/news/scotlands-largest-solar-farm-given-10995800

© crystolenergy.com

Woodside Petroleum of Australia have predicted $55 per barrel this year rising to $65 per barrel next year after their profits rose from $340 million to $507 on 2017 prices, averaging around $50 per barrel.

This prediction comes on top of several confident, bullish predictions from experts in the last few months:

Will Scotland’s oil hit $100 (or more?) a barrel again after 2020?

Independent Scotland’s oil wealth is assured as Aramco chief predicts huge shortages

$90 per barrel for Scotland’s oil by 2020

Scotland’s Treasury to benefit from ‘Oil Price Shock In 2020’

Oil companies making more at $50 per barrel than they did at £100 per barrel yet the UK Government is not taxing them. Is this a ploy to undermine the case for Scottish independence or just interlocking elite corruption?

If you search my blog for the word ‘oil’ you’ll get many more reports predicting a lucrative future for Scotland if we have the autonomy to gather the taxes on our own natural resources!

https://www.energyvoice.com/oilandgas/australasia/147695/woosides-profit-rise/

Footnote: Look at the map above. How is it the Norwegians make so much and we make so little when you see we have the vast bulk of the resource?

© http://subseaworldnews.com

See this from Scottish Government Minister for Business, Innovation and Energy, Paul Wheelhouse:

‘The project is set to inject £530 million into the Scottish economy, and its benefits will be felt for a long time – for our communities, economy and environment. It’s becoming increasingly clear that offshore wind is integral to the Scotland’s sustainable energy future – as well as helping us to achieve our ambitious climate change targets.’

I’m losing track of the good news about Scotland’s renewable energy projects which seem set to make us 100% self-sufficient by 2030 wondering what we can do with much of the oil and gas. I know, sell it and further widen our trade surplus gap.

See also these:

As Scotland heads for 100% renewables energy production by 2030, the SNP Scottish Government invests another £43m for low-carbon infrastructure projects to help make it happen.

 

Scotland’s renewables trend is too strong to be held back by political barriers and challenging market conditions suggesting 100% renewables by 2030 is a real possibility.

 

By 2030 when Scotland should be able to power all its homes and industry with renewables energy, all of the fossil-fuel job losses could be replaced there.

 

Put all of this with the massive increase on food and drink exports and the general economic growth figures and the forthcoming GERS authors must be under hellish pressure to make us look poor.

https://www.energyvoice.com/otherenergy/147542/beatrice-wind-farm-sets-scottish-economy-course-500million-bounty/

 

 

 

 

You’ve no doubt already seen that Scotrail has outperformed the rail services in England and Wales. Here’s the data again:

‘In the four weeks to 23 July 2017, 93.7 per cent of trains ran within the public performance measure (PPM). This compares to 91.1 per cent for the same period last year. Recent performance means the ScotRail Alliance’s moving annual average (MAA) – the annual performance standard – is now at 90.7 per cent. This performance is:

• Ahead of the improvement plan target of 90.5 per cent.
• 0.7 per cent higher than this time last year.
• 1.1 per cent higher than when the performance improvement plan was first introduced.
• Ahead of the annual performance standard of 87.9 per cent in England and Wales.’

https://www.scotrail.co.uk/about-scotrail/news/scotrail-alliance-outperforms-improvement-plan

I wrote about it as did Wings over Scotland where they expertly exposed big Labour fibs about it:

 Scotrail outperforms services in England and Wales

https://wingsoverscotland.com/the-king-of-irony-world/

Now we hear from gov.scot:

‘The Scottish Government has restricted annual increases in fare costs to ensure Scotland has the lowest price increases in the UK.  At the same time, we have introduced a number of initiatives to support passengers including offering a free week’s travel – equal to the cost of a rail fare freeze – which has been taken up by 90% of season ticket holders. While there has to be an increase in fares to support rail services our actions ensure the annual increase for key fares is never more than inflation and that any increase for off peak fares is always less than inflation. This allows us to continue to invest in improvements, to grow passenger numbers and to ensure rail travel is fair, affordable and an attractive alternative to travelling by car.’

So Scotrail is the best and the cheapest? Mind you, I feel the approach of an angry Scottish rail-user based on their personal experience.

https://news.gov.scot/news/ministerial-statement-on-january-rail-fares-increases

© nationalgeographic.org

The teams are based at the University of Edinburgh’s Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, at Glasgow University and at Scotland’s Rural College. They have received £5.5 million in funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The three programmes are:

1. to cut death rates and reproductive losses in dairy cattle in Ethiopia, Nigeria and Tanzania;
2. to track livestock performance;
3. to fund the development of veterinary techniques for use in developing countries.

This news comes only months after another Scottish university project to help developing countries:

Scottish university research to help developing nations remove arsenic from water supplies

https://www.eveningexpress.co.uk/news/scotland/scotland-based-researchers-bid-to-improve-livestock-health-in-africa/

As tourism surges in Scotland, it is playing an increasingly important role in sustaining rural communities according to new research from Visit Scotland. We’ve seen an 18% growth in UK tourism spending while in Scotland it increased by 27% on last year.

http://www.insider.co.uk/news/tourism-spending-high-street-soars-10842615

Tourism employment is increasingly important with Argyll & Bute at 18%, twice the national average of 9%. Other areas particularly relying on tourism employment are:

Highlands (14%),

South Ayrshire (13%)

Orkney (12%). 

According to the report, the top ten most visited regions in Scotland by overnight visitors are:

1. Edinburgh (2,276,000 trips)
2. Highlands (1,777,000 trips)
3. Glasgow City (1,682,000 trips)
4. Argyll and Bute (891,000 trips)
5. Perth and Kinross (721,000 trips)
6. Dumfries and Galloway (702,000 trips)
7. Aberdeen City (661,000 trips)
8. Fife (528,000 trips)
9. Stirling (432,000 trips)
10. South Ayrshire (373,000 trips)

I’ve already discussed possible reasons for this growth here:

North Americans lead surge in Scottish tourism because they feel safer here

‘Outlander links see visitors to historic sites soaring’

Visitors to Scotland’s historic sites surge by 470 000 to reach more than 4.5 million, breaking all records, in only 11 months!

https://www.agcc.co.uk/news-article/what-we-did-on-our-holiday-sustained-scotlands-rural-communities

We’ve just seen the news of the scheme to send free baby boxes with fitted mattresses, a digital ear thermometer worth about £45, fleece jackets, bodysuits, sleepsuits, books, anti-scratch mittens and muslin cloths. It’s hoped these boxes and their contents will improve life chances of many babies to 58 000 young mothers every year.

In July, the Scottish Government launched a six-month pilot scheme in Aberdeen to provide free sanitary items for women and girls in low-income households. SNP MSP Angela Constance, cabinet secretary for communities, social security and equalities has expressed her support and it seemed likely to be implemented across the country anyway. However, Labour’s Monica Lennon has launched consultation on a members’ bill to introduce a universal system of free access to sanitary products as a basic human right more quickly. It’s good to see Scottish Labour helping with the project of making Scotland better as opposed to sniping from the side-lines. Schools, colleges and universities would make these available in their toilets.

It makes me proud to see another initiative to add to this evidence below that we are already moving away from Theresa’s Great Brutaldom. Well done to Scottish Labour for rowing with the tide….for once:

Scottish stillbirth and early infant death rates lowest in the UK and approaching lowest in the world

Scottish public sector to put poverty and inequality at heart of decision-making despite UK Government’s abandonment of the principle

Though we already have the highest rate of donors in the UK, Scottish government to introduce soft opt-out system for organ donation. Does this tell us something more?

‘NHS across UK has much to learn from Scotland?’ The King’s Fund told us this in 2013!

Free care for the elderly, free tuition, bus passes – this is a government for the people.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/scotland-free-sanitary-products-end-period-poverty-first-country-womens-rights-benefits-care-a7892446.html