Forget “The Scottish Play”. Energy is the real tragedy played out in Scotland.
As you drive into Kirkcaldy from the west, there is a view that captures three momentous eras in the history of Scotland’s energy, framed by the Fife coast, Lothians, North Sea, and the sky. Three industrial eras, three acts in a “potentially” tragic play in which the final scenes are yet to be written.
To the right, the concrete stumps of Seafield colliery protrude deathly from the shallow shores of the old coal mine – tombstones to a bygone age. The pit is long gone, closed in 1988 and replaced by a private housing estate with sea views – Thatcher’s dream. Its closure, part of the vicious final scenes of deindustrialisation, drew the curtain down on 200 years of Scotland’s first energy tragedy – Act 1: Coal.
There are no coal mines in Scotland now. The social and economic scars run deep, but there are only a few physical signs left of its existence – mostly old overgrown rail tracks, the arteries that extracted the wealth, bled communities dry and deposited prosperity in distant pockets.
*“What’s done cannot be undone.”*
Continue along the promenade, Kirkcaldy’s golden mile, and you can see all the way out to the North Sea, past Methil, towards the East Neuk. Parked up, a queue of oil rigs that stretch out into the firth waiting to be decommissioned. The rigs, like milestones marshalled to mark the end of the road for Scotland’s second great energy bonanza – Act 2: Oil.
After 50 years of one of the largest natural resource discoveries the world has ever known, Scotland has nothing to show for it – except the endemic public health issues, lack of infrastructure and dearth of hope for our young.
The second great act of this Scottish tragedy is the darkest, especially when contrasted with other small nations like Norway or the Emirates – compare the health, infrastructure and skylines of these countries with Scotland over the past 50 years. Despite continuing to be one of Europe’s biggest oil producers, with the closure of Grangemouth, we will soon have to import all of our oil-based products. This is expensive, perverse and unjust. It strips Scotland of her natural resource, extracts wealth and engenders dependence.
The renewable industry is in for a rough period. The major input is up-front capital which, over the lifetime of the generator, accounts for approximately the same value as fuel for conventional generators. However, the problem with up-front capital is that you pay it, well, up-front (unlike fuel costs which are ongoing costs).
It is highly unlikely the author of this report doesn’t know this. The cynic in me suggests he is angling for a state buy-out of his company, and duck out of the hard times ahead.
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Forget “The Scottish Play”. Energy is the real tragedy played out in Scotland.
As you drive into Kirkcaldy from the west, there is a view that captures three momentous eras in the history of Scotland’s energy, framed by the Fife coast, Lothians, North Sea, and the sky. Three industrial eras, three acts in a “potentially” tragic play in which the final scenes are yet to be written.
To the right, the concrete stumps of Seafield colliery protrude deathly from the shallow shores of the old coal mine – tombstones to a bygone age. The pit is long gone, closed in 1988 and replaced by a private housing estate with sea views – Thatcher’s dream. Its closure, part of the vicious final scenes of deindustrialisation, drew the curtain down on 200 years of Scotland’s first energy tragedy – Act 1: Coal.
There are no coal mines in Scotland now. The social and economic scars run deep, but there are only a few physical signs left of its existence – mostly old overgrown rail tracks, the arteries that extracted the wealth, bled communities dry and deposited prosperity in distant pockets.
*“What’s done cannot be undone.”*
Continue along the promenade, Kirkcaldy’s golden mile, and you can see all the way out to the North Sea, past Methil, towards the East Neuk. Parked up, a queue of oil rigs that stretch out into the firth waiting to be decommissioned. The rigs, like milestones marshalled to mark the end of the road for Scotland’s second great energy bonanza – Act 2: Oil.
After 50 years of one of the largest natural resource discoveries the world has ever known, Scotland has nothing to show for it – except the endemic public health issues, lack of infrastructure and dearth of hope for our young.
The second great act of this Scottish tragedy is the darkest, especially when contrasted with other small nations like Norway or the Emirates – compare the health, infrastructure and skylines of these countries with Scotland over the past 50 years. Despite continuing to be one of Europe’s biggest oil producers, with the closure of Grangemouth, we will soon have to import all of our oil-based products. This is expensive, perverse and unjust. It strips Scotland of her natural resource, extracts wealth and engenders dependence.
The renewable industry is in for a rough period. The major input is up-front capital which, over the lifetime of the generator, accounts for approximately the same value as fuel for conventional generators. However, the problem with up-front capital is that you pay it, well, up-front (unlike fuel costs which are ongoing costs).
The global rise in cost of borrowing is severely increasing these cost for renewable generators, such that renewable companies like [Ørsted](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/feb/07/danish-windfarm-firm-orsted-jobs-dividend-north-sea) are announcing profit warnings and suspension of dividends for several years.
It is highly unlikely the author of this report doesn’t know this. The cynic in me suggests he is angling for a state buy-out of his company, and duck out of the hard times ahead.