Council leader accuses SNP’s Gordon Murray of raising false expectations

The leader of Western Isles Council has hit back at SNP councillor Gordon Murray over progress on securing a community electricity company for the Western Isles.

Angus Campbell insisted the council and its partners have been working on establishing a community electricity company for some time. Progress has been reported at several meetings of the council and at the Energy Member Officer Working Group.

“Not once has Cllr Murray suggested that we were not going the right way and I think it is disappointing that he is now appearing to claim credit for the work that has been undertaken by many different individuals and agencies to obtain cheaper electricity for the communities in the Islands. Cllr Murray seems to be under the impression that this is a simple matter.”

According to Mr Campbell, setting up the appropriate mechanisms and infrastructure to allow trading in the electricity market is a highly complex process and one which the council has been pursuing, and making progress on, for some time. It was essential to undertake that research work in a professional, detailed and incremental manner to ensure a sustainable business model is achieved that works for islanders.

“I was surprised that Cllr Murray didn’t take the opportunity to raise any issues or questions at the Sustainable Development Committee where there was a comprehensive report and he would have a better understanding of where we are with this matter. In order to keep everyone better informed I will outline the progress that has been made.

Mr Campbell listed progress as:

• The council has agreed to explore the possibility of setting up an Energy Services Company (ESCo) as a Community Interest Company. Early stage market exploration and business planning is presently on-going, through an inter-agency working group. In light of that work the ESCo may evolve in a number of ways, but the basic proposition and primary objective behind the ESCo as initially stated is to source wholesale electricity from Hebridean wind farms and other renewable generators, and to retail that electricity to island customers, offering tariff reductions to the local market.
• The ESCo has the potential to make a significant contribution to the reduction of fuel poverty.

There may also be a number of wider benefits associated with the ESCo, he thought, such as:

• contributing towards reduced carbon emissions in the Outer Hebrides;
• supporting innovation in local grid management and energy use;
• securing local economic impacts from the trading and operational activities of the business, should it seek to retail to UK mainland consumers in the longer term.

The leader stressed that the development of the ESCo was a long-term initiative that would only deliver its main benefits on the establishment of the proposed commercial windfarms and after the installation of the interconnector.

He concluded: “I hope Cllr Murray now has a clearer understanding of what both he and his fellow Councillors have agreed to pursue in terms of setting up a community electricity company.
“If Cllr Murray has new information or an alternative mechanism for achieving the objective of lower cost electricity then he should share it with the rest of the comhairle and with the inter-agency working group. We should all be working for the benefit of the people of the Outer Hebrides rather than making ill-informed and unfounded public statements, which do nothing but raise false expectation.”