Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes believes uncertainty over the future of energy under Donald Trump could be a boon to Britain’s net zero mission and economic prospects.
With the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump less than a week away, the US renewable energy sector is braced for a regulatory and investment u-turn diverting billions from green power infrastructure to carbon-based fuel markets.
The White House regime change has sent panicked shockwaves through the climate and environmental sectors, among others. But in a recent interview, Scottish Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes revealed some optimism that this could catalyse higher levels of investment into the UK by US renewables companies unable to expand businesses domestically.
‘If an investor wishes to invest in clean energy, they may now look again at the United Kingdom, and again at Scotland, because there is that regulatory and that policy certainty about our move over (to net zero),’ Forbes told Holyrood magazine. ‘We have 40GW of offshore wind in the pipeline, and you’ll know if you do the maths, at peak time our needs as a country are far less than that in terms of electricity, so the opportunity to invest in data centres, all these intensive industries that rely on clean energy, is huge.’
The comments come as UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer doubles down on commitments to increase the supply of jobs in the UK economy and deliver a just transition to net zero emissions across the country. This will include encouraging significant private investment into the country’s energy industries.
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