SMALL SCALE HYDRO POWER

That this House notes the successful development of small scale hydro supported via Feed-in-Tariff, with 177 MW of small scale hydro now available in Scotland, which represents 75 per cent of UK capacity; recognises the importance of this additional clean energy generation at a time of tightening electricity capacity margins and concerns over climate change; further notes the benefits to the renewable energy and construction sectors in terms of protecting jobs in these sectors; further notes that hydro has the lowest lifetime cost of all renewable technologies; shares the concerns of Scottish Renewables and the British Hydropower Association about the impact of the proposed deep cuts to the Feed-In-Tariff for small scale hydro; further notes the consistent representations made on this issue by the Scottish Government over the last year; and urges the Government to reconsider its plans and instead ensure a more planned and gradual reduction in support for small scale hydro, thus ensuring this popular and clean source of electricity is maximised.