Energy

Coverage of Scotland’s energy system, including renewables, grid infrastructure, oil and gas transition, energy policy and energy security.

Visual accompanying “54,000 Scottish Properties Still Without Electricity and Repairs Could Take Until Wednesday”

Energy·Featured

Storm Boelo: Around 45,000 Scottish Properties Still Without Power

Approximately 45,000 Scottish electricity customers were still without power according to the latest available network operator reports on Sunday evening, 25 October 2026, as engineers continued repairing widespread damage caused by Storm Boelo. The figure represents a substantial improvement from earlier in the afternoon,

An artist's impression of a future biological data centre, in which living neural cultures are maintained inside controlled chambers and connected to electronic computing systems

Energy

Scottish Scientists Connected Living Brain Cells to Computer Chips in 2009

Scientists in Scotland were cultivating living nerve cells on electronic interfaces and recording their electrical signals in 2009, nearly two decades before experimental data centres in Australia and Singapore began using living human neurons as part of functioning computer systems. The research, conducted at

78017756 air conditioner and heat pump outdoor unit

Scotland’s Certified Heat-Pump Retrofits Fell 29% in First Half of 2026

Government figures show a sharper fall than across the UK, while Scotland’s grant and loan programme

Oil vessel returning to Aberdeen Harbour, Scotland

Jackdaw Cleared to Produce Gas Off Scotland After Fresh Climate Assessment

First gas is expected within weeks from the North Sea development. Its Scottish connections run through

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Four Giant Tidal Turbines Planned for Orkney Could Generate Electricity Equivalent to 85% of Island Households

Four enormous floating tidal turbines could soon operate together in the powerful currents surrounding Orkney, generating

9600390 dounreay nuclear power plant scotland (1)

Energy·Featured

Scotland Helped Pioneer Nuclear Power. So Why Does it Oppose New Reactors?

Scotland helped establish Britain’s nuclear industry, building experimental reactors, electricity-generating stations and an engineering workforce that transformed communities from Caithness to Ayrshire.

by David McDonald

11 October 2026

Energy·Featured

Rules Stop Scottish Communities From Selling the Energy They Generate Locally

Scotland is putting more public money into community-owned wind, solar and hydro, with £15 million now available annually through the Community and

by James Stewart

8 October 2026

Energy

Scottish Data Centres Are Seeking 9.7GW of Grid Capacity While Ofgem Moves to Create a Demand Register

Scotland’s electricity connection queue contains close to 30 data-centre projects seeking about 9.7GW of capacity, according to the National Energy System Operator.

by John Campbell

7 October 2026

Energy·Featured

Ministers Say They Cannot Require Compensation for Fishers Displaced by Energy Projects

The Scottish Government has confirmed that ministers do not currently have powers to require compensation payments in relation to energy infrastructure, leaving

by James Stewart

7 October 2026

91279544 a nuclear fusion reactor in progress producing energy

Energy·Featured

Conservatives Plan to Override Holyrood on Nuclear Power, Targeting Powers Scotland Has Held Since 1999

Andrew Bowie says a future Conservative government would legislate so that new nuclear power “can and will” be built in Scotland despite

by David McDonald

6 October 2026

Energy·Featured

Electricity VAT Falls to Zero on 1 October, Yet Ofgem’s Typical Dual-Fuel Cap Rises £60

VAT disappears from domestic electricity bills across Scotland tomorrow, but the representative annual cost under Ofgem’s price cap will still rise from

by John Campbell

30 September 2026

Energy

Scotland Has a 32.8GW Battery Pipeline as Ofgem Proposes a Financial Test for Grid Places

Scotland has accumulated 32.8 gigawatts of proposed battery-storage capacity in its planning pipeline, making batteries the largest single technology awaiting development in

by John Campbell

28 September 2026

102616216 a futuristic digital heads up display interface isometric digital grid

Energy

About £104 Million of July’s Grid Constraint Bill Was Assigned to Scotland. One Scottish Workaround Saved an Estimated £39 Million

NESO spent £221.2 million managing electricity constraints across Great Britain in July. Its monthly analysis assigns 47 per cent of that cost

by James Stewart

23 September 2026

65051466 offshore wind turbines stand tall above the water harnessing wind energy on a cloudy day the fog creates a mystical atmosphere around the structures showcasing renewable

Energy·Featured

ScotWind’s Scottish Commitments Rise to £25.6 Billion as Scotland’s Share of Project Spend Falls to 29%

The latest figures for 16 ScotWind projects show more money projected for the Scottish supply chain than three years ago, but total

by Andrew Robertson

23 September 2026

Energy·Orkney Islands

North Ronaldsay Faces Winter on Diesel as Power Cable Replacement Slips to Spring 2027

North Ronaldsay will spend the coming winter dependent on temporary diesel generation after replacement of its failed electricity cable to Sanday was

by John Campbell

17 September 2026

Energy·Shetland Islands

Shetland Expected £700,000 From Viking Wind Farm. It Now Expects £550,000

Shetland Islands Council has cut its forecast rental income from the 103-turbine Viking wind farm by £150,000. The adjustment provides an early

by James Stewart

17 September 2026

Energy·Featured

Scotland Is Becoming a Giant Battery

At the end of March, Scotland had 22 operating battery-storage projects with a combined capacity of 843 megawatts. Behind them was something

by David McDonald

9 September 2026

Energy·Featured

One of Scotland’s New Grid-Stability Machines Has Changed Hands

A little-known piece of electrical infrastructure in Moray changed hands this week. Foresight Group says it has acquired the Blackhillock Synchronous Condenser,

by David McDonald

9 September 2026

Energy

Wind Turbines Are Getting Too Big for the Roads. Scotland Is About to Try a Different Design.

A wind farm near Lairg will become the first project in Britain to use GE Vernova’s Cypress turbine. Its blades can be

by LM Bruce

3 September 2026

98979286 drone surveying offshore wind turbine from boat during overcast evening conditions in bloom region

Energy

Scotland’s £96 Billion Offshore Wind Pipeline Now Faces a Decision Made Beyond Scotland

The National Energy System Operator has submitted six possible pathways for Great Britain’s energy system to government. Scotland has already leased seabed

by James Stewart

3 September 2026

Loch na Cathrach Duibhe and Loch Eriboll From the top of an escarpment west of Ben Heilam

Energy·Featured

Two Scottish Hydro Schemes Fall Below Ofgem Financial Test as Regulator Weighs Consumer Risk

Glenmuckloch and Loch na Cathrach remain outside Ofgem’s proposed long-duration electricity storage portfolio after the regulator assessed both below a financial threshold

by James Stewart

17 August 2026

Energy

Community Renewable Energy Fund Increased to £15m a Year

Scottish community groups are being offered more financial support to own renewable energy projects and reduce the running costs of local buildings.

by John Campbell

13 August 2026

Turbine at Dorenell wind farm, south of Dufftown. Image thanks to EDF

Energy·Featured

The £11 Million Rent Beneath Moray’s Wind and the 67 Turbines That Could Follow

Court papers exposed an index-linked £6 million minimum rent at Dorenell Wind Farm; subsequent reporting found the land payment had reached about

by John Campbell

10 August 2026

87836882 picturesque road in scottish highlands cairngorm national park near lecht ski resort (1)

Energy·Featured

Scotland’s Local Electricity Network Coordination Group Ended Without A Replacement

A Scottish Government group established to resolve barriers preventing homes, businesses and public infrastructure from connecting to local electricity networks stopped meeting

by Andrew Robertson

3 August 2026

Angus·Energy

Montrose Skills Academy Aims To Turn Offshore Wind Growth Into Local Careers

A £1.25 million public investment will help convert part of Montrose Port’s restored Customs House into a specialist training centre, bringing offshore-wind

by David McDonald

27 July 2026

Aberdeen City·Energy·Featured

North Sea Kittiwake Platform Enters Final Phase After 36 Years

A long-serving North Sea production hub is moving towards shutdown and decommissioning, opening another chapter in the industrial transition facing Aberdeen as

by Andrew Robertson

27 July 2026

Energy·Featured

Ofgem Plans Tighter Controls On Dividends And Debt At Scotland’s Energy Networks

Britain’s energy regulator is consulting on stronger financial controls for the monopoly companies operating Scotland’s electricity networks, including proposed restrictions on shareholder

by John Campbell

25 July 2026

Energy·Featured

Scotland’s Energy Backlog Grows as UK Prepares to Favour Strategic Data Centres

Nearly two-thirds of Scotland’s live energy applications have remained in the consenting system for more than a year while the UK Government

by James Stewart

23 July 2026

Aberdeen City·City of Edinburgh·Energy·Featured·Fife·Scottish News

Eight Energy Decisions Scotland Cannot Afford to Ignore

From grid connections and pumped storage to North Sea consent and household bills, decisions now approaching will determine whether Scotland builds an

by David McDonald

14 July 2026

Dounreay is the site of several nuclear research establishments located on the north coast of Caithness, in the Highland Scotland

Energy·Featured·Scottish News

Scotland Put Back on Britain’s Nuclear Map

Torness, Dounreay and Hunterston have been placed back on Britain’s prospective nuclear map after a UK Government study found that several parts

by John Campbell

10 July 2026

61624888 a white cloud hovers over a laptop symbolizing the concept of cloud computing

Energy·Featured·North Lanarkshire·Scottish News

Lanarkshire AI Growth Zone Faces Questions Over Power, Land and Community Benefit Claims

Scotland’s first AI Growth Zone is now facing serious questions over whether its public claims on renewable power, land use, jobs and

by Andrew Robertson

7 July 2026

68705824 landscape wth windmills in scotland

Energy·Featured·Orkney Islands·Policy and Government·Scottish News

Scotland Was Warned. The Grid Bill Is Now Arriving.

Scotland’s electricity story is often told as a story of abundance. Wind in the North Sea. Hydro in the glens. Islands surrounded

by LM Bruce

9 June 2026

Energy·Featured·Scottish News

The Paper Trail: Scotland’s Oil, Net Zero, Grid And Data Centre Transition, 1850 To 2026

For more than a century, Scotland’s energy story has been written in coal, shale oil, crude oil, gas, pipelines, refineries, ports, platforms,

by David McDonald

8 June 2026

63025690 industrial metal power tower with high voltage current flowing through wires

Energy·Scottish News

Swinney Presses for Scottish Energy Powers as Household Bills Rise

John Swinney has renewed pressure for full control of energy policy to be devolved to Scotland after Ofgem confirmed a 13 per

by David McDonald

1 June 2026

Energy·Featured·Scottish News

What Ofgem’s 13 Per Cent Energy Price Cap Rise Means for Scotland

Ofgem’s latest price cap rise will push typical household energy bills in Great Britain up from July, just as many Scottish households

by John Campbell

27 May 2026

Aberdeen City·Aberdeenshire·Energy·Scottish News

North Star Contracts Show the North Sea Transition Still Depends on Scotland’s Offshore Safety Fleet

North Star has secured a major pipeline of emergency response and rescue vessel work across the North Sea, supporting hundreds of seafaring

by John Campbell

20 May 2026

Energy·Scottish News

SSEN’s New Flexibility Auction Shows How Scotland’s Electricity Grid Is Changing

SSEN Distribution is seeking up to 708MW of flexibility across 178 areas, in a market designed to pay providers for shifting electricity

by Andrew Robertson

20 May 2026

Offshore oil rig drilling platforms off the coastline near Invergordon

Energy·Featured·Scottish News

The North Sea Is Scotland’s Constitutional Test

The question is no longer whether the North Sea can return to the past. The question is whether Scotland enters the next

by LM Bruce

14 May 2026

The sea stacks of Duncansby Head, the most northeasterly part of Scotland and slightly northeast of John O'Groats in Caithness

Energy·Featured·Highland·Scottish News

Hollandmey Wind Farm Consent Leaves Caithness Facing a 2026 Construction Question

ScottishPower Renewables has consent for a wind, solar and battery project near Mey after a public inquiry. But in north east Caithness,

by Andrew Robertson

10 May 2026

Argyll and Bute·Energy·Highland·Na h-Eileanan Siar·Orkney Islands·Scottish News·Shetland Islands

Clean Heating Without Backup Leaves the Highlands Exposed

Scotland’s move to clean heating and electrification is intended to reduce emissions and modernise the energy system. But in the Highlands and

by LM Bruce

9 May 2026

64328024 electrical substation glowing at dusk with colorful lights and power lines

Energy

Scotland’s Energy Future Will Be Decided By The Grid, Not Just The Turbines

Jacobs has been appointed to an eight year framework supporting Murphy’s SSE portfolio. Behind the corporate language sits a larger Scottish story:

by David McDonald

4 May 2026

His Royal Highness at Customs House with members of the Pert Bruce Construction team

Angus·Energy

A Royal Visit, A Working Port, And Scotland’s Energy Future

The Duke of Edinburgh’s visit to Montrose Port gave Angus a ceremonial moment. Behind it sits a more important question: whether one

by David McDonald

4 May 2026

Argyll and Bute·Energy·Orkney Islands

Scotland Has the Waves. Now Come the Hard Questions.

A new intervention from marine energy advocates argues that wave power should become one of the United Kingdom’s next major clean energy

by David McDonald

4 May 2026

91550682 a technician checks the performance of a grid scale energy storage solution integration of renewable energy into the power grid

Energy·Scottish Borders·Scottish News

Matrix Renewables Secures £245m Financing for Large-Scale Battery Storage Project in Scottish Borders

Global energy platform backed by private equity firm TPG closes non-recourse financing deal for 500MW battery project in the Borders, with construction

by John Campbell

1 May 2026