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Daily Record
Daily Record
Politics
Chris McCall

Scottish Greens pledge to create 10,000 jobs by building more windfarms

The Scottish Greens have pledged to create 10,000 jobs by investing heavily in renewable energy.

The party wants the next Scottish Government to upgrade existing windfarms and encourage greater community ownership of turbines built in the future.

The environmentalists will launch their 2021 election manifesto tomorrow as the party to looks to increase its number of MSPs.

The party wants planning restrictions relaxed to make it easier to install windfarms, with the exception of national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty.

Green candidate Mark Ruskell said: “Renewable energy is absolutely critical to meeting climate targets and ensuring our survival.

"Scotland has incredible renewables resources which have not been harnessed by successive governments.

"Despite these missed opportunities, we can still be a leader in Europe in this sector and create thousands of well-paid jobs.

“The Scottish Greens will commit to a new deal for onshore wind, replacing old turbines with fewer, more powerful models and doubling the size of the industry to meet new electricity needs for low carbon heating and transport.

"We will also move to ensure that at least 70% of the supply chain is sourced in Scotland."

He added: “We will also commit to expanding marine renewables, which has the potential to be a real game-changer.

"We will set a target of 1GW of installed tidal energy in Scotland by 2030, and will seek an emergency derogation to ensure long term support, as well as investing in innovation and local economic development to support the sector.

“Scotland can be a leader in renewable energy, but only if we invest in it. Our future depends on it.”

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