Tim Allan CBE

As we look to identify opportunities both now and in the future to grow Scotland's exports, my team has been working hard over the last 18 months to assess the opportunities around Hydrogen for Scotland. Scotland's first export plan for Hydrogen reflects their hard work, partnering with agency leads to engage closely with industry in setting a path for Scotland on this exciting and potentially huge trading opportunity. We look forward to continue to engage with others as we move into delivery of the actions from this plan, and respond to the emerging economic opportunities presented by Hydrogen. https://lnkd.in/eNceqyzx

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3️⃣5️⃣0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐰𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 The British Chambers of Commerce has thrown its weight behind calls for an independent task force to examine the plans for #NorthSea #energytransition and to safeguard jobs. In a significant new report published tonight, Chambers across the UK have united to say there must be a balance that “preserves the investment and skills needed for the green economy and safeguards thousands of jobs”. It recognises the UK must fulfil its climate commitments, but said current plans for the oil and gas industry risk reducing investment and impacting energy security. BCC officials have said the independent task force should bring together expertise of all sectors impacted by North Sea operations, including, but not limited to the energy sector, economists, environmentalists and unions. Colleagues at Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce have been heavily involved in this piece or work, which builds on its call for an independent body earlier this year. With warnings this week that up to 35,000 #oilandgas jobs are at risk, we need an effective energy transition which does not cut adrift the tens of thousands of highly skilled people across the UK who rely on the sector for their livelihoods. Read the report here 👇 https://lnkd.in/eAZaku3r

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At the Science Muesum this evening for the launch of RenewableUK Industrial Growth Plan - reminded by their work, and the insight of others, of the criticality of #steel and #aluminium to the energy transition and the need to secure the capability for #energysecurity, #economicsecurity and #growth > https://lnkd.in/e8JyqWWM

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Today’s collapse of the SNP / Green power sharing agreement has led to a flurry of questions and speculation on whether an early Scottish Parliamentary election is imminent. This visual shows what would need to happen for the election date to be brought forward from May 2026

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Today marks an important milestone as the UK Government published its response to the Long Duration Energy Storage (LDES) consultation. DESNZ received feedback from a diverse range of stakeholders, including Innova , both as a developer and asset owner. The response confirms the Government’s intention to establish a cap and floor mechanism to support the deployment of LDES projects, with some interesting detail on revenue stacking and the potential inclusion of lithium-ion solutions. While there’s still much to digest and further details to explore, as noted by DESNZ, this is an exciting next step in the journey toward LDES deployment! #LDES #energystorage #netzero

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🚨 Space Investment Opportunity: Scottish Space Network have teamed up with Sustainable Alpha to support their 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scottish International Investment Tour in partnership with Scottish Enterprise. If you are in the Scottish space sector, considering raising investment and keen to showcase your company to a group of active international investors - this could be a great opportunity for you! 🇬🇧 UK and 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scottish investors - If you are interested in joining the tour, expanding your international network and seeing the best Scotland has on offer across a number of sectors, please also follow the link for more information! #investment #venturecapital #space #spaceeconomy #scotland

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Using the “beneficiary pays” principle for new power infrastructure will encourage investment in the grid without causing disputes over cost-sharing, new research shows. @cornellchronicle https://lnkd.in/eGd2Rw3k

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Reality check! New polling reveals 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗼𝗶𝗹 & 𝗴𝗮𝘀 in the UK than oppose it. 🙀 1,600 voters were just polled on various election issues by BMG Research. • 38% said they thought the UK should expand oil and gas drilling • 37% were against • 25% don't know. It's a generational thing. ↳ 52% of 18-34 year olds are against it. ↳ Their parents' generation? They're more likely to be in favour. ↳ A whopping 60% of over 65s are up for drilling, and only 20% oppose it. To hit our climate goals, experts say new drilling has to stop. We're approaching an election where the likely winners are pledged to stop it. I suspect nearly everyone reading this in my LinkedIn bubble thinks it should stop. For those of us working on behaviour change and shifting culture, it's worth remembering that old habits die hard. People being concerned about climate change and people supporting the solutions aren't necessarily the same thing. In a few years we might look back and think it was crazy we were still issuing drilling licenses in 2024. But right now it's more popular than not.  Worth reading the summary in BusinessGreen and following its erudite and illuminating Editor-in-Chief James Murray too. https://lnkd.in/enpUU3zQ 📖 ++ P.S. I'm CEO of environmental charity Hubbub. We bring business, government and civil society together to create campaigns that inspire & support people to make choices that are good for the environment. Follow me - Alex Robinson - for insights on environmental change, leadership and more. #environment #sustainability #climatechange #netzero  

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Since the oil & gas industry started making unprecedented windfall profits in 2022, the UK's oil & gas tax regime has been constantly debated in a way that has produced a lot of heat and not much light. To illuminate the broader context--and implications--of the way the industry is taxed, my excellent colleagues have zoomed out of the current debate and situated it in the broader history and trajectory of oil & gas industry taxation. They conclude that the UK government needs to go beyond tweaks to the windfall tax to create a fiscal regime that serves the public interest & our broader energy policy goals.

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The SNP's row back on the commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 75% by 2030 may well have been the final straw for the power sharing deal. Interesting to see how this all plays out. With the SNP now running a minority government, could we see a more balanced Housing Bill introduced? One that encourages investment and provides greater confidence to landlords? Time will tell. #Espc #Edinburghproperty #Allchange

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There is much to do in terms of restructuring the 🇬🇧 #ukenergysector and reconfiguring the energy system to a #NetZero future - my thoughts below on #GreatBritishEnergy #GBN and what it means for those organisations wanting to build their presence with the (relatively) new UK government 👇👇 #GreatBritishEnergy #GreatBritishNuclear #decarbonisation #UKenergypolicy #UKrenewables #offshorewind #newnuclear #SMR #UKsustainability #UKenergysystem

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The Scottish Government has announced additional #investment to #grow and nurture high-growth #businesses and #entrepreneurs. The £5 million package will help deliver end-to-end support for Scotland’s start-up companies. It forms part of an ongoing to commitment to develop a world-class #technology sector, and boost the number of #women starting and scaling-up businesses. The package includes: - Funding to expand the business funding competition #ScottishEDGE, helping broaden and tailor the range of financial support available to fledgling businesses - Development of pre-start support, aimed at stimulating the earliest stages of business creation and product development for under-represented groups. - Support to maximise the economic impact of university spin-out companies, and commercialise research - Investing in initiatives that will attract the world’s top talent and showcase Scotland as a global destination for start-up founders and investors. The additional support coincides with an announcement that Codebase, delivery partners of the Scottish Government’s £42 million Techscaler programme, are to partner with Scottish EDGE to develop the end-to-end support offered to businesses and entrepreneurs.

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This is a thorough and important piece in today's Telegraph. Thanks to Matt Oliver for interviewing me. It considers all the BIG issues, foreign ownership, Thames Water connection, regulatory challenges, 2026 decision. Couple of additional points: 1. This goes beyond decarbonisation. It's also about energy security with nearly all gas likely to be imported by 2040. 2. Cadent come across as quite balanced in this piece but they are downplaying how existential this is for obvious reasons. What happens to gas bills in their scenario if only a few % of homes are connected? Obviously a death spiral situation. https://lnkd.in/diYbwK9H

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More than 40 companies from the UK's oil and gas supply chain have signed an open letter to the Treasury expressing "grave concern" about plans to hike windfall taxes and eliminate investment incentives. They warn that plans threaten £200bn of investment in all forms of domestic energy, including renewables, in an industry that supports 200,000 jobs. The letter, issued by Offshore Energies UK, expresses concern that reduced investment and greater uncertainty would be felt throughout the supply chain "through jobs, and the communities this industry supports, both directly and indirectly." David Whitehouse, chief executive of Offshore Energies UK, told the BBC's Today programme the "vast majority" of the companies which signed the letter were "smaller companies". "These are not the energy giants that people talk about...They are the lifeblood of the UK economy." #energyindustry #supplychain #oilandgas #gasindustry #renewableenergy

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Bit of a wrap of low-carbon hydrogen related developments I haven't had an opportunity to share. With Germany alone planning to import up to 90TWh of low-carbon hydrogen by 2030, according to ClimateXChange electrolytic #hydrogen produced in #Scotland and exported to the EU market could be one of the most competitive from the countries studied from the EU GHG thresholds perspective. See the study here: https://lnkd.in/gmw3KU8k The study came just before The Scottish Government has announced its Hydrogen Export Plan, which accessible via this link: https://lnkd.in/gGiNKfu4 With these in mind, most recent developments H2 projects linked to Scotland gain prominence. For example, SGN have reached globally significant milestone for its H100 Fife project, which will provide low-carbon hydrogen to some 300 households replacing natural gas. They have completed the construction works for 7MW wind powered system running through 8.4 km pipelines. It will run on 100% H2. The project will provide critical insights into adaptation of low-carbon hydrogen into residential heating solutions across the UK. (20% blending UK target) https://lnkd.in/gW_p6Sap Earlier in October, Statera Energy submitted plans for a 3GW electrolytic H2 production facility to Aberdeenshire council. Publicly available documents unveil that the company is aiming to pump low-carbon hydrogen produced in this facility into the gas network near St Fergus. https://lnkd.in/gqZNgBdN Meanwhile, a proportion of distilled spirit from a project which used 100% hydrogen to directly heat the stills at Yamazaki’s pilot distillery in Japan has been shipped to Glen Garioch Distillery, where it will be closely monitored and quality assessed under Scottish maturation conditions. Suntory Global Spirits https://lnkd.in/gqcBKmsU Ardagh Group, which also has a site in Scotland, also announced that they started to use hydrogen produced from a 5MW PEM system in its furnaces in Sweden. They are hoping to replace 20% of the natural gas used for glass melting. https://lnkd.in/guWQEPPx Scotland's ongoing ambition and determination to become a net exporter of low-carbon hydrogen provides project developers the depth and confidence in their view of the future. The next big ticket items will be Department for Energy Security and Net Zero's Hydrogen Allocation Round 3 and Contracts For Differences AR7. Also Net Zero Technology Centre will soon conclude its Phase 2 study into the commercial case of h2 pipeline connection to Europe. Reach out to learn how at Scottish Development International we can plug you in to the Scotland's low-carbon hydrogen ecosystem.

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An interesting article that highlights the massive disconnect between those at either end of the discussion, with those in the middle who are actually trying to work things through left frustrated. As Elvis once sang "a little less conversation, a little more action". Jenny Stanning and David Whitehouse, along with the Offshore Energies UK team spend a lot of time engaging with people from across the the energy sector, so it's disappointing to hear of angry outbursts from those who perhaps need to ask themselves the same questions they ask others. That said, both of them are articulate, patient and resilient, so don't need me standing up for them. Having spent the last few years engaging in some depth with businesses across the Extended Supply Chain (ESC) servicing a number of sectors including Oil & Gas, Renewables and the public sector, workforces and businesses across Scotland and the UK have a common need for three things - COMMITMENT, CASHFLOW and CONSISTENCY. Uncertainty and squabbling simply drives away investment and delays progress. Whilst the UK and Scotland spend time arguing over the glass being half full or half empty, other nations are simply making use of the contents. Thank you E-FWD for keeping us informed

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With the creation of a publicly-owned energy company in the news and central to Labour's pitch to voters, have scribbled some thoughts on what GB Energy could look like in practice. No firm conclusions, but three 'models' for how it could take shape up... (1) State energy investment vehicle: Similar to what is already in place, targeting public cash at innovative and mature tech (and local projects). Perhaps most likely option based on what Labour has said, but would need to invest on a non-commercial basis to be truly additional. (2) Publicly owned energy developer: More akin to the EDF's of this world, a GB Energy that is developing, constructing and even operating assets. Could have a greater impact in time, but would need to be designed carefully to avoid sense of unfair competition in the market. (3) Net zero delivery agency: A convening role, looking to solve cross-cutting issues impacting net zero, such as supply chain capacity for the grid. Potentially a novel approach, but could clash with new national system planner function and value for money hard to guarantee. All of these options offer something very different and have tried to assess the potential merits and challenges of each. Clearly there is some overlap between each, and early priorities (e.g., local energy) could be different to long-term role (e.g., offshore wind developer). Hopefully some useful food for thought as we all get our heads round what the re-introduction of public ownership in the energy system could actually mean for the delivery of green energy and our bills. Lot's more thinking to do after the election!

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