Scottish ministers have granted consent for a proposed 900-megawatt gas-fired power station at Peterhead, advancing a carbon-capture project that has sharpened debate over Scotland’s future energy mix.
A consent letter cited in The Independent’s report said ministers had considered assessments of the station’s environmental effects. SSE Thermal and Equinor plan to build the facility at the existing plant site in Aberdeenshire. The developers say carbon-capture equipment would remove carbon dioxide from its emissions. The project website describes gas generation as backup that can complement renewable power.
The Independent also reported that the decision coincided with a Holyrood debate on climate change and climate justice. Katherine May, head of Oxfam Scotland, said the timing weakened Scotland’s claim to climate leadership. She argued that climate commitments should be reflected in decisions about new fossil-fuel projects.
Caroline Rance, who leads campaigns at Friends of the Earth Scotland, warned that extending fossil-gas use could leave household bills vulnerable to volatile international prices for decades. She said Scottish governments and fossil-fuel companies had promoted carbon capture for more than 20 years without the technology materializing. Rance argued that renewable power could be cheaper, more dependable and bring wider community benefits. She also cited summer heat and storms as climate pressures that ministers should address.
North East Scotland Green MSP Maggie Chapman called the existing plant “Scotland’s largest source of climate pollution” and criticized the decision to expand the site. She said Scotland should put more emphasis on renewable energy and high-skilled green jobs, and argued that carbon-capture schemes could not deliver emissions cuts quickly enough.
Finlay McCutcheon, managing director of SSE Thermal, said the station could help balance a renewables-led power system while creating or sustaining jobs in north-east Scotland. He said Peterhead’s next steps hinge on delivery of the Scottish Carbon Capture and Storage Cluster. McCutcheon said SSE Thermal would take time to consider the consent decision in detail and continue working with its partners.
