All three of the first major hydropower projects in ‘Great Britain’ in 40 years due to be built in northern Scotland to double storage for Southern England

From the Guardian today: Great Britain’s first new major hydropower projects in more than 40 years are expected to move ahead after the energy regulator gave a provisional green light to three proposals as part of a plan to reduce the country’s reliance on energy imports. All three of the new pumped storage hydroelectric power station projects are due to be built in northern Scotland, where the region’s lochs will act as natural reservoirs to serve the hydropower stations. The Loch Kemp project, developed by Statera Energy, plans to draw water from Loch Ness, and SSE’s Coire Glas project expects to draw from Loch Lochy … Continue reading All three of the first major hydropower projects in ‘Great Britain’ in 40 years due to be built in northern Scotland to double storage for Southern England

UK Energy Minister, Michael Shanks, should be warned about Rural Scots trapped in a ‘quiet crisis’

The Scotsman today has a report on the Poverty Alliance apparently warning the SNP on the costs of energy in rural parts, unconnected to the gas grid and where home heating oil has to be bought in bulk in the absence of any price protection. The absence of price protection for heating oil, the regulatory framework for energy markets, and the overall approach to supporting off-grid households are reserved matters.1 Scotland has a higher proportion of homes off the mains gas grid than most of the UK. These households (roughly 142,000 using oil) rely on heating oil (kerosene), LPG, or … Continue reading UK Energy Minister, Michael Shanks, should be warned about Rural Scots trapped in a ‘quiet crisis’

TORY OIL AND GAS PROMISES IN ABERDEEN SOUTH: EMPTY RHETORIC FROM A PARTY OF WASTE

By JimMennie As Aberdeen South goes to the polls today, Tories are still attempting to pitch themselves as the saviours of North Sea jobs. Their candidate and national figures claim they alone will “get Britain drilling” and reverse decline. The reality is starker. The long-term drop in oil and gas employment has been driven primarily by global markets, a maturing North Sea basin with smaller, costlier fields, and the inevitable energy transition — factors no Westminster government fully controls. Their own record of squandering billions in public money makes these promises ring hollow for voters who have lived through the … Continue reading TORY OIL AND GAS PROMISES IN ABERDEEN SOUTH: EMPTY RHETORIC FROM A PARTY OF WASTE

Scottish independence shouldn’t give you that sinking feeling

This report will no doubt draw accusations of ‘whitabootery‘ being taken to its logical conclusion, complete daftness, but, if the facts told the opposite story, the media operating in Scotland would just love to give you a sinking feeling to store with all the other ‘Scotland is sh**te‘ narratives they feed you daily. How can the SNP run a country if they can’t stop your house sinking? Luckily, for us at least, it’s the South-east of England, the most affluent and effluent, it has to be said, part of the UK has serious problems. From the Guardian, still opposed to … Continue reading Scottish independence shouldn’t give you that sinking feeling

Aberdeen By-election Special – Where tory Promises Go To Die

By Jim Mennie The Tories like to present themselves as champions of North East Scotland. Yet issues like oil and gas show they definitively are not. But it’s not just oil and gas that exposes how they treat the voters of the North East as mugs. In 2014, the then Westminster Tory-LibDem coalition government promised to make North East Scotland a world leader in carbon capture technology. The then UK Energy Secretary, and now LibDem leader, Ed Davey confirmed Peterhead as the location for the world’s first gas-fired carbon capture and storage (CCS) facility – backed up by a £100 … Continue reading Aberdeen By-election Special – Where tory Promises Go To Die

Reform UK cannot speak for workers in the North Sea

By Jim Mennie Reform UK has positioned itself as a vocal advocate for the North Sea oil and gas industry, particularly in North East Scotland. The party presents its policies as a defence of high-skilled jobs, energy security and domestic energy production against what it describes as overly rapid net-zero targets and green levies. While the messaging resonates in oil-dependent communities, serious questions remain about the party’s experience, track record and ability to deliver on its promises. What Reform UK Proposes The party’s platform includes several core commitments: Fast-tracking new North Sea exploration licences as a priority. Maximising extraction of … Continue reading Reform UK cannot speak for workers in the North Sea

Building standards and regulations in Scotland are generally more strict and demanding than those in England in several key areas

In the Guardian on 11 February 2026: Even multimillionaires can’t escape Britain’s cowboy builders, it seems. Last week, residents of One Hyde Park, the UK’s most expensive flats, won a £35m court case against the contractor that built their homes. The high court ordered the construction company Laing O’Rourke to fix defective pipework that was discovered to be causing problems in 2014, only three years after the luxury development was completed. At the other end of the economy, tens of thousands of families are facing damp and mould issues also caused by botched building works. A National Audit Office investigation revealed in October … Continue reading Building standards and regulations in Scotland are generally more strict and demanding than those in England in several key areas

Highest level of common mussel production ever recorded in Scotland after years of Scottish Government support

From Scottish Shellfish Farm Production Survey 2025 published today: The Scottish Shellfish Farm Production Survey 2025 was published today. This Official Statistics publication details statistics on the employment, production and value of shellfish from Scottish Shellfish Farms. It is structured to follow trends within the common mussel, Pacific oyster, native oyster and king scallop species sectors. Some statistics are given for the 10-year period 2016-2025.  Some key figures from this publication are: Source: https://www.gov.scot/news/scottish-shellfish-farm-production-survey-2025/ This achievement was mainly driven by Scotland’s shellfish farming industry, but the Scottish Government has played a major supporting roles because aquaculture and fisheries management are … Continue reading Highest level of common mussel production ever recorded in Scotland after years of Scottish Government support

Producing more than half of the UK electricity from wind but Scots will just have to go ‘tribal’ to pay their bills

with their bills is on the rise in Scotland according to Consumer Scotland. BBC Reporting Scotland in their regular wee BBC Breakfast inserts go on to suggest, via two brothers, a ‘tribal’ strategy, as they put it themselves, where they, their families and others live in the one house to keep energy bills down. So, it’s just up to us to cope with high energy bills is it? Are you sure we couldn’t do something else like political independence and the powers to tax the energy companies? Does Scotland produce enough energy to meaningfully generate enough tax revenue to then … Continue reading Producing more than half of the UK electricity from wind but Scots will just have to go ‘tribal’ to pay their bills

Scotland rising above sea levels after only two years of SNP Government

The Guardian today, has: There is no great master plan’: anxiety as UK homes, roads and railways sink into the sea – Increasing coastal erosion has hit communities’ livelihoods and put lifestyles under threat There is no mention of any Scottish location. Here’s why: In October 2009, The Telegraph reported, the above and: England is sinking while Scotland rises above sea levels, according to new study England is sinking into the sea while Scotland is rising at such a rate it may counteract the effects of sea level rise due to climate change, according to a new geological map. The University … Continue reading Scotland rising above sea levels after only two years of SNP Government