The Scottish Government has unveiled its first Scottish Energy Strategy

The strategy contains six key priorities and includes a range of actions to deliver the Government's energy goals.

The six strategic priorities are;

• Promote consumer engagement and protect consumers from excessive costs

• Champion Scotland's renewable energy potential, creating new jobs and supply chain opportunities

• Improve the energy efficiency of Scotland's homes, buildings, industrial processes and manufacturing

• Continue to support investment and innovation across our oil and gas sector, including exploration, innovation, subsea engineering, decommissioning and carbon capture and storage

• Ensure homes and businesses can continue to depend on secure, resilient and flexible energy supplies

• Empower communities by supporting innovative local energy systems and networks

In addition, a £20 million Energy Investment Fund will be created to build on the Renewable Energy Investment Fund, while a £60m Low Carbon Innovation Fund will be established to provide dedicated support for renewable and low carbon infrastructure over and above wider interventions to support innovation across the economy.

Other plans include doubling Scotland's renewable electricity capacity from 9.3 to 17 Gigawatts by 2030, as well as targeting a 30% increase in the productivity of energy use across the economy.

Speaking during a statement to the Scottish Parliament, Business, Energy and Innovation Minister Paul Wheelhouse revealed the latest figures from the Energy Saving Trust show a 12% increase in the level of community and locally owned renewable capacity operating in Scotland, which now sits at more than 660MW.

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Wider engagement and public consultation on a publicly owned energy company is now planned for 2018.

Mr Wheelhouse said: "Scotland has world class skills, expertise and knowledge, from the North Sea oil and gas industry to our academic institutions and smaller start-ups to our cutting edge low carbon technology.

"This strategy recognises and builds on our achievements to date and on Scotland's capacity for innovation. It places consumers, and their interests, more firmly than ever at the heart of everything that we do.

"This strategy will guide decisions of the Scottish Government over the coming decades. We want to make sure, within the scope of our devolved powers, good stewardship of Scotland's energy sector – something we have called the UK Government to step up to for years."

Claire Mack, Chief Executive of Scottish Renewables, welcomed the Strategy's publication.

She said: "For the first time, the Scottish Government has set out a holistic plan for how we produce and use energy, breaking down the barriers between electricity, heat and transport.

"The huge ambition of the new target is to be commended. The Strategy creates a framework for us as an industry, Scotland's policymakers and the public to think in different ways about energy supply and demand.

"It should also provide much-needed impetus to tackle issues like the decarbonisation of our heat supply, levels of fuel poverty and the challenges presented by the roll-out of electric vehicles."

Will Webster, Energy Policy Manager at Oil & Gas UK, said: "We welcome the announcement by Scottish Minister for Business, Innovation and Strategy Paul Wheelhouse MSP that the UK oil and gas industry will remain the bedrock of Scotland's future energy system and that building on our industry's strengths is among the six priorities for the Scottish Energy Strategy's 2050 vision.

"It's also good to hear support for investment, innovation and diversification across our sector so we can maximise economic recovery from the North Sea, as well as acknowledgement of the world-class skills that our sector supports."

Scottish Enterprise Director of Energy and Low Carbon Technologies, Andy McDonald, said: "The Scottish Government Energy Strategy details an ambitious long-term vision for Scotland. It has a clear focus on taking advantage of global opportunities in the energy sector in key areas such as international investment, our expertise in oil and gas, and the importance of the energy supply chain in the transition to a low carbon economy."

(LM/MH)