Electricity Market Reform

As an amendment to motion S4M-06582 in the name of Fergus Ewing (Electricity Market Reform), leave out from first “welcomes” to end and insert "notes the importance of the electricity market reform proposals in maintaining investor confidence in Scotland in both renewable and carbon capture and storage technologies; notes the publication of Ofgem’s Electricity Capacity Assessment 2012, which outlines the significant challenges facing Scotland and the UK regarding spare capacity and security of supply; further notes the publication of Scottish Islands Renewable Project: Final Report, which concludes that “further renewable generation on Scottish Islands will not be developed on any scale in the near future under current policy”; believes that the UK Energy Bill fails to adequately address the recent escalation of energy bills or the ongoing threat of fuel poverty and does not include sufficient measures to reduce electricity demand or facilitate the growth of community ownership of renewables; recognises the key role of the Scottish Government in directly addressing these issues, and welcomes the Labour Party's more ambitious proposals to reform the energy market, including placing a requirement on energy companies to pool the power that they generate and make it available to any retailer."