MSPs have debated a range of motions on the future of Scotland’s energy system.
While the Scottish Government motion called for full devolution of energy powers, amendments ranged from Labour’s call for an integrated UK market and nuclear investment, to the Conservatives and Reform UK backing new North Sea licences, to the Greens pushing for faster fossil fuel phase-out and the Liberal Democrat’s support for community energy.
A spokesperson for the End Fuel Poverty Coalition commented:
“With energy prices now set to rise again, hundreds of thousands of Scottish homes are already trapped in fuel poverty and the structure of the UK energy market continues to fail them.
“But Scotland’s long-term energy security cannot rely on a declining North Sea, where firms have already extracted 90% of commercially viable gas while posting billions in profits. With the UK set to produce insufficient gas to meet heating needs by 2027, investment in insulation, clean heating and renewables is not just a climate measure, it is the most direct route to protecting households from global price volatility.
“While many system reforms are still reserved to the Westminster Government, Scottish Ministers must not use this as an excuse for inaction. The Scottish Government needs to boost community energy projects, establish a £20 million annual fuel poverty crisis fund, introduce a social tariff built around actual energy need and treat retrofit as a national infrastructure priority. MSPs must use today’s debate to press both governments to act before next winter.”
As campaigning in by-elections in Scotland ramps up, the Windfall Tax is once again under scrutiny. Polling in the run-up to the Scottish elections found voters across all parties supported the Energy Profits Levy.
Meanwhile, following revelations that the oil and gas industry made £3 billion in profits on UK operations in the first three months of 2026, three quarters of the UK population felt it is morally wrong for oil and gas companies to profit from the energy crisis caused by the Iran war.