Proposed Just Transition pilot area in Caithness and Sutherland

Many of the issues identified by the Just Transition Commission will require collaborative and innovative approaches to be developed. To accelerate the development of these solutions small scale pilot activities with modest budgets could provide solutions that can be scaled up at low risk. If these pilot schemes, simultaneously provided a long-term local solution then this would be the most efficient approach and use of any public funds.
Caithness and Sutherland encompass many of the issues are likely to be faced by mainland Scotland during Just Transition in a microcosm. The population of less than 40,000 includes coastal communities, fishing and fish farming communities, agricultural communities (including crofting), dispersed remote and hard to reach communities and urban centres with a mix of some affluent areas juxtaposed with some of the poorest wards in Scotland.

The regional economy is unusual for a largely rural one with a mix of large and small employers, multiple employment sectors represented, and a sophisticated supply chain supporting the highly complex and demanding decommissioning process at Dounreay.

The Energy sector (Key sector from Making the Future, 2nd Just Transition Commission Initial Report) is extremely important in the region, comprising the decommissioning of the Dounreay nuclear site, Offshore and onshore wind developments, hydrogen production development, and significant power storage and transmission infrastructure being developed across the region. The area is at the heart of the low carbon energy transition, and already produces 12.5 times the electricity it uses from renewable sources. Despite these statistics, fuel poverty is high, public transport poor, and the population endures amongst the most expensive electricity and heating costs in mainland Scotland.

Buildings and construction (Key sector from Making the Future) approaches will be vital as major projects progress in the region: – SpaceHub Sutherland Spaceport, Onshore windfarms, Support infrastructure for Offshore Wind Farms; If these are to be successfully undertaken, skills, staff availability, affordable housing and transport all need to be addressed; A high proportion of local buildings are old, so bringing them up to modern energy standards will be challenging. Heating in remote and rural locations is predominantly either solid fuel or hydrocarbon fuelled. These will need modernising, amongst a population that already suffers high levels of fuel poverty; The two northern urban conurbations around Thurso and Wick are by stranded gas networks and hence ideal for developing alternative fuels and heating systems.
Transport (Key sector from Making the Future) - public transport is poor, particularly in more rural areas with virtually no public transport provision to the West of the region. Travel to work, healthcare and other services often require long distance travel making the use of private vehicles unavoidable. To undertake the transition to low carbon transport will require innovative approaches. The infrastructure to support mass transition to electric vehicles will be expensive to install relative to the size of the population.

Land use and Agriculture (Key sector from Making the Future) - the natural capital of the Caithness and Sutherland area can only be characterised as a vital Scottish asset. The Flow Country, which is being presented to UNESCO for recognition as a World Heritage site this year dominates much of the interior of the area; Crofting is still an important part of the rural economy, and needs to adopt new practices to successfully transition to the low carbon economy; issues around ‘Green Lairds’ and how to ensure communities are not disadvantaged by distant investors; Wind farm developments are vital to ensure Scotland meet its net zero targets, but it will be unjust if all of the burden of the development of these is felt locally but little of the benefit accrues to local communities.

It can be seen from the description above that the issues faced locally are equally a microcosm of many of the issues identified by the Just Transition Commission, with additional pressures as faced by many remote populations. The region faces challenges around: - healthcare and social care provision; Public transportation; Fuel poverty which is higher than the national average; Skills and staff availability; Dounreay – the biggest local employer providing well paid jobs - continues to move inexorably towards closure.


The Caithness and North Sutherland Regeneration Partnership (CNSRP) was established in 2007 and comprises the main public and private organisations with interest in economic growth. Originally set up to help address the impacts of Dounreay decommissioning, the partnership is now much more focused on economic sustainability and diversification. Partnership consists of: - The Caithness Chamber of Commerce; Dounreay Site Restoration Limited; The Highland Council; Highlands & Islands Enterprise; The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority; Skills Development Scotland; and The Scottish Government. It works closely with the local university campus, UHI North Highland which incorporates the Environmental Research Institute - which undertakes world leading research specialising in natural capital such as peatland management and restoration. Since inception CNSRP Partners have helped to create and sustain hundreds of jobs but recently evolving challenges and opportunities have triggered a revisioning of the partnership which is currently underway. The plans resulting from this process could demonstrate how a Just Transition process could be established and successfully completed.

With a regional population of less than 40,000 and existing compact, collaborative, and cohesive local organisational networks mean that: -

•Mobilisation of activity could be achieved quickly and at low cost through these existing organisational structures. (Co-ordination)
•The scale of projects necessary to permanently address local issues would be pilot scale activities elsewhere. With modest investments solutions these could be developed and could then be scaled up at lower risk in other areas. This would the highly effective use of public funds, solving regional issues with pilot scale activity that would not then need to be replaced with scaled up solutions, as might be the case in more urban locations. This process would also provide solutions to remote and rural areas that are often left behind with key needs often unmet (Meeting the Justice guiding principle and the Engagement, participation, and equalities Strategic priority.).
Initial work strands would concentrate on: -
•Workforce planning, (Strategic priority identified in Making the Future). This would dovetail with work already commenced to identify issues and solutions. This would address immediate short-term issues but allow a clear vision of what the needs of the new energy economy would be. This would be supported by crystallising a Renewable Energy Academy based at UHI North Highland and supported by research as required from the Environmental Research Institute.

Action: - Develop a regional talent attraction, development, and retention plan and implement it supported by a Renewable Energy Academy; Use this as a blueprint to develop the skills element of an Energy road map to net zero supported by research from ERI as required.

•Close the investment gap - One of the Strategic priorities identified by the Just Transition Commission, which identified the need to invest at least two per cent of GDP to create highly skilled, secure, well-paid jobs, tackle inequality, and to build an innovative industrial base and more resilient social and physical infrastructure. With the current cost of living crisis, and intense pressure on governmental budgets one of the key goals must be to attract as much private investment as practicable to help meet this target.

In the CNSRP submission to the Just Transition Commission call for evidence we noted that “Public sector support would be best utilised to identify feasibility, run pilot activities in partnership with business and academia and communicate the benefits of these approaches.” We continue to believe that this approach is by far the best use of public funds, seeking to co-develop and co-invest for community benefit with commercial businesses. With Onshore and Offshore wind farm developments, other energy storage and transmission projects and a Space Port all in active development in the region a planned approach is vital if the benefits are to be maximised. (Meeting the Co-ordination guiding principle. Synergistically leveraging private funding in this way would also allow more rapid development (meeting the Urgency guiding principle) and a higher likelihood of success (Meeting the Credibility guiding principle).
Action: - Develop approaches and metrics to ensure private investment and public investment align to meet business need and societal strategic priorities.

•Transport – Developing a model to provide “A transport system that meets remote and rural needs”. This would integrate work under way on hydrogen trials for the rail network, air travel through the Sustainable Air Test Environment (SATE) project and seek to identify opportunities to accelerate the conversion to, electric, hydrogen and other alternative fuel sources for public transport and heavy goods vehicle movement. A collaborative Transport Forum all of the relevant key partners already exists and would short cut developing a cohesive regional approach.

Action: - Develop pilot activities to identify solutions and use these to develop a regional plan.

Why the contribution is important

As a result of the regional economy, diversity of settlements, geographic and demographic features all within a self-contained area, it is the ideal location to act as a trial area to develop solutions to the challenges identified by the Just Transition Commission. These solutions would both provide a national (and potentially international) knowledge resource, and at the same time provide a genuine Just Transition for the local population.

by ProgrammeManagerCNSRP on September 09, 2022 at 05:24PM

Current Rating

Average rating: 4.8
Based on: 18 votes

Comments

  • Posted by DaveSustain September 10, 2022 at 08:32

    Fully supportive of this proposal as it embraces the principles of a Just Transition to build area capability in support of the area’s net zero opportunities. Driving the economic development of this rural area, the initiatives in this proposal will help to establish sustainable communities.

  • Posted by JuneLove September 10, 2022 at 20:57

    A good proposal that should be taken forward

  • Posted by Briggen September 11, 2022 at 23:21

    Fully support this idea as it acknowledges that employment in the nuclear sector is in decline and will eventually be non-existent
    There is therefore an urgent need to focus onn alternative employment in energy and expansion of other sectors including agriculture, fishing and tourism
    In the energy sector Caithness & North Sutherland have already hosted onshore wind and bases for offshore wind with potential for green hydrogen - huge potential also exists in solar, wave and tidal energy
    With all public agencies and the private sector committing to this plan progress will be made towards a just transition which ensures no one in future suffers from fuel or any other form of poverty and that new opportunties are available to both retain and attract new residents

    From Tor Justad - Member of Dounreay Stakeholder Group

  • Posted by Dawnclasper September 12, 2022 at 10:26

    This is a good proposal.

  • Posted by Magnus_Davidson September 12, 2022 at 11:03

    As outlined in the proposal Caithness and Sutherland are home to energy generation and carbon sequestration resources of national (and international) importance. Coupled with socio-economic, and cultural, underpinnings familiar across rural Scotland the learnings from the Just Transition pilot area would benefit local communities and business as well as providing key learning for roll out across the country.

    Support for this proposal would be a firm commitment from the Scottish Government in the area recognising the key role it will play in Scotland's net-zero targets and just transition principles.

  • Posted by GilesHuby September 12, 2022 at 11:05

    I fully support this idea because it provides a clear direction and ambition for private, public and academic sector partners to work together to grow a burgeoning green economy across Caithness and Sutherland. There is the perfect opportunity here to capitalise on the expanding wind and hydrogen power industries, existing skilled workforce and the ready availability of tomorrow's workforce with the right skills - all set against a local context of ScotWind, the UNESCO-worthy Flow Country, sustainable aviation, a green spaceport - and a committed community and local partnerships.

  • Posted by RossCaithness September 12, 2022 at 11:24

    I support this proposition. There is an abundance of knowledge and skills in the far north that can contribute to the just transition of both our energy system and the people that work in the sector.
    The decommissioning of Dounreay and the growth of renewables both need to be recognised and supported nationally. Becoming a pilot area would prove that the Scottish Government listens and understands our needs and is willing to work with the area.

  • Posted by StephanieStrother September 12, 2022 at 11:37

    This proposal highlights the importance of the Caithness and Sutherland region in helping to deliver on Scotland's net-zero targets and just transition principles. This region has key developments in offshore wind, onshore wind, hydrogen production, tidal and nuclear combined with the need for economic development and support in rural Scottish communities.

    I am fully supportive of this proposal and hope to see it move forward.

  • Posted by CaithnessChamber September 12, 2022 at 12:59

    The North Highlands as a remote and rural region, has unique challenges, but also a number of opportunities as outlined in the proposal. It will require collaboration and innovative approaches to solve these challenges and maximise the opportunities to ensure that the Scottish Government's Just Transition is truly 'just' and Scotland's net zero targets are met.

    This proposal presents a fantastic opportunity to test and trial solutions to the key challenges outlined by the Just Transition Commission. Support would show a firm commitment by Scottish Government in recognising this area's key role in achieving Scotland's net zero targets and just transition principles.

    Fully supportive of this proposal and hope to see it taken forward.

  • Posted by EmilyKearl September 12, 2022 at 13:12

    Caithness and North Sutherland are in an ideal position for this trial and the suggestions outlined in the proposal. The area can play a huge role in achieving Net-Zero for Scotland and the proposal fully embraces the key principles of a Just Transition.

  • Posted by AndrewCommin September 12, 2022 at 13:51

    This is an excellent idea which I fully support. As the energy system shifts towards a more holistic Distribution System Operator setup rather than incumbent DNO based model this opens up huge potential across the UK. Caithness and Sutherland are very well placed to be an early mover, two key factors being excellent resource and a building stock which is likely to be early targets for Scottish Government policies (notably LHEES). Being an early mover in this area opens up multiple funding opportunities, such as the Strategic Innovation Fund coming out of the latest RIIO-ED2 price control period.

  • Posted by vicksters September 12, 2022 at 14:52

    It is essential that rural areas are given consideration in these plans for the future, so I fully support this proposal.

  • Posted by RogerS September 12, 2022 at 15:27

    A Just Transition should mean: A balanced low-carbon energy mix; Investment in skills and infrastructure; Protecting and creating high-quality jobs and employment; No community left behind. Caithness has contributed greatly to a low carbon future, both in the past with nuclear power development and currently with our windfarms and tidal. Investment in Education and Skills is part of a ‘Just Transition’ to a low carbon future. With yet another reorganisation of our local colleges, what skills or retraining is SG planning for Caithness? Scotland needs more people in employment, contributing to the economy. Scottish Government seems very keen on retraining oil workers in Aberdeenshire. Where’s the equivalent for Caithness workers? A greater commitment to the work of CNSRP is needed. We very much feel we are being left behind in Caithness. Examples are the huge attention given to Moray (and Orkney) maternity issues whilst Caithness seems to be a done deal. What is the ‘levelling up’ plan for Caithness?

  • Posted by DavidOrr September 12, 2022 at 16:06

    This is a great opportunity for Caithness and Sutherland to be part of this trial, and therefore I fully support this proposal.

  • Posted by ksievewright September 12, 2022 at 16:12

    This proposal not only benefits Caithness and Sutherland, but provides a rare opportunity for the UK as a whole to trial proof of concept initiatives and designs which will allow it to transition towards a net zero and zero waste future.

  • Posted by DavieAlexander September 12, 2022 at 17:11

    This a vey good and sensible approach to Just Transition within our area. Our organisation is supportive of the proposal and look forward to it being given serious consideration.

    Davie Alexander
    Chair
    Thurso and Wick Trade Union Council

  • Posted by FiddlerEng September 12, 2022 at 19:43

    This report highlights the crucial issues required for Just Transition and the crucial issues facing Caithness & North Sutherland. This area has a wealth of professional capability owing to Dounreay and UHI that could be focussed on a pilot project. It would show clearly the contribution Caithness and North Sutherland can make to developments in the Highland Region. This aspect is currently ignored by much decision making both in Inverness and Edinburgh owing in part to Caithness and North Sutherland's pro-nuclear viewpoints. This Just Transition pilot should be decided on factual merits not party political ideology.

  • Posted by Johndeighan September 12, 2022 at 20:45

    This is a worthwhile project for the far North.
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