SNP Government insists renewable energy jobs boom on cards
'We need to update our ambition for offshore wind to reflect and firmly underline our commitment to economic growth and investment offered by the sector,' said Ms Martin.
She added: 'Scotland's offshore wind sector is already creating significant opportunities, delivering jobs and attracting major investment across the country.'
Her comments look like a fresh attempt by SNP ministers to claim credit for a development that reflects the influence of geography and other factors beyond its control.
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As much of Scotland is surrounded by windy waters it has been an obvious focus of investor interest in offshore wind developments.
The SNP Government's role in promoting growth has been minimal.
It has control over planning but has faced criticism for delays in approval of the giant Berwick Bank development planned by SSE.
The Scottish Government has held two offshore wind licensing rounds since taking control of the acreage concerned from the UK Crown Estate in 2017.
It claims the ScotWind and INTOG rounds were big successes. However, successful applicants made clear that their interest reflected the availability of generous revenue support under schemes run by the UK Government such as the Contracts for Difference programme. The costs of this are added to the bills of households across the UK.
Ms Martin did not refer to the subsidies but colleagues have underlined their importance.
In a letter to then chancellor Jeremy Hunt in November 2023, finance secretary Shona Robison wrote: 'The Contracts for Difference programme has been very successful in supporting the deployment of renewables in Scotland.'
She called on Mr Hunt to increase the amount of support provided to 'include allocating sufficient budget to develop Scottish projects at scale'.
Ms Robison also said the UK Government should urgently accelerate the development of an appropriate market support mechanism to encourage firms to develop the huge energy storage facilities that will be needed to maximise the potential of windfarms.
Households pay a fortune to compensate firms which operate Scottish windfarms that are switched off in times of low demand.
Last year the Labour Government launched a revenue support scheme to encourage investment in large scale storage facilities but developers such as SSE have said it is not generous enough.
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Ms Martin's statement did not include any evidence in support of her claim that Scotland's offshore wind sector is delivering jobs. The Scottish Government doesn't have the statistics required to support that claim.
Boosters rely on estimates that renewables supported 42,000 jobs in Scotland in 2021 produced by academics at the University of Strathclyde - who warned they came with a moderately large margin of error and should not be over-interpreted.
Industry leaders admit that job creation in Scotland has been disappointing.
This is despite successive SNP Governments launching sector support schemes with big budgets culminating in the £500m offshore wind supply chain initiative announced by former first minister Humza Yousaf in October 2023.
Ms Martin said the SNP Government would invest up to that amount over five years to 'support market certainty, create a highly productive, competitive offshore wind economy and support thousands of jobs, while embedding innovation and boosting skills'.
But her announcement included further indications that the current SNP Government badly needs ideas about how to turn the grand vision into a reality.
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A section in the offshore wind consultation document entitled 'delivering ambitions' hailed the ScotWind and INTOG licensing rounds without explaining how they would translate into activity that would benefit the Scottish supply chain.
The announcement asks: 'What additional actions do you believe should be taken by the Scottish Government, UK Government and agencies in order to realise the full potential of Scotland's offshore wind sector?'
The consultation period is open until August 13.
The launch of the consultation process came soon after the SNP Government was forced to admit that some of its climate ambitions were fanciful.
In April last year then energy secretary Mairi McAllan scrapped the target to reduce emissions by 75% by 2030 after being forced to accept it was not credible.
The Scottish Government adopted a system of five-year carbon budgets to replace emissions reductions targets.
In a recent report on those budgets, the Climate Change Committee highlighted the extent to which advances made so far have been due to UK Government support.
'Progress to date has largely come from electricity decarbonisation, reflecting Scotland's abundant renewable resources,' said the expert body, which advises the UK and devolved governments.
'This is a reserved area of policy and Scotland has benefited from measures across Great Britain's electricity system.'
While independence supporters pin the blame for everything on 'London', the Committee highlighted failings in areas where the Scottish Government is clearly in control.
These include actions it could take to reduce demand for energy. The demand side of the equation seems to get forgotten amid the posturing of SNP ministers.
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The CCC appears to think the move to carbon budgets will be helpful at some point. However, interim chair Piers Forster, warned: 'We do need to see action now.'
He noted: 'The Scottish Government has devolved powers to deliver the necessary emissions reductions in key sectors, particularly buildings, surface transport, agriculture, and land use. We encourage them to exercise these powers as quickly and fully as possible.'
Underlining the scale of emissions from buildings, the Committee lamented the fact that plans to tackle these were left in limbo in April when the Scottish Government scrapped proposals for a scheme that would have cost householders a fortune.
The Committee said: 'It is therefore disappointing that the proposals for regulations to upgrade properties at the point of sale have been abandoned, with, as yet, no specific alternative measures to deliver the target for heating to be zero emissions by 2045.'
Ms McCallan assumed the housing brief after returning from maternity leave this month.
The Committee also said the Scottish Government needs to do more to promote public transport and low carbon farming.
'Long-term certainty is needed on public funding for farming practices and technologies to reduce emissions from managing crops and livestock,' it said.
The Committee recommended the Scottish Government support farmers in woodland creation, peatland restoration, agroforestry, and renewable energy.
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But the Scottish Government decided to reject the advice on farming, which could alienate supporters in SNP heartland areas such as North-East Scotland.
Ms Martin said: 'While we welcome the UK CCC's advice … it is always for Scotland to decide whether those policies are right for us.
She noted: 'To ensure we protect rural communities and have a thriving rural economy, we will not adopt all their recommendations on agriculture and peatland and will instead meet our targets in a way which works for rural Scotland, including supporting and protecting our iconic livestock industries.'
But cosying up to farmers may only help the SNP Government recover some of the support it lost after abandoning the oil and gas industry as it courted the green vote under former FM Nicola Sturgeon. She led the 2014 independence campaign alongside Alex Salmond on the claim the North Sea's reserves would power an independent Scotland to prosperity.
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