Western Isles Agencies Take Message To All Energy Conference

Western Isles agencies will be working in partnership to tell the energy industry about the benefits of the Islands at the All Energy Conference to be held in Aberdeen this week on the 28th and 29th May. Representatives of the Western Isles Alternative and Renewable Energy Partnership (WIAREP) will be joined by delegates from Western Isles Enterprise, Stornoway Trust and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar.

David Currie, Chairman of WIAREP, said:"Renewable energy is one of the most important elements in the economic regeneration of the Western Isles and I am delighted that the islands will have such strong representation at what is a major event for the energy industry. There will be key players from the renewables sector from all over the country attending this event and it is important that we get the message across of what the Islands have to offer".

Cllr. Donald Maclean and Cllr. Donald M Mackay are the Comhairle nan Eilean Siar representatives. Cllr. Maclean said: “This is a marvellous opportunity to promote the islands and reach a key audience. We will be promoting the Energy Innovation Zone concept and working with our partner agencies to outline what is happening in the Western Isles and the potential that is on offer in the Islands for the renewables industry. We will also be outlining the Creating Communities Of The Future strategy and the vital role that renewable energy can play as a key economic driver”.

The conference is a major event and is expected to be attended by over 90 exhibitors and many more delegates from industry, academia and government.

Murdo MacLennan, Chairman of Western Isles Enterprise, who are being represented at the conference by their Chief Executive, Donnie Macaulay, welcomed this opportunity to demonstrate the Western Isles' capacity to deliver renewable energy generation. " This event offers the means to also profile the direct and related activities the Western Isles has to offer -scope for on-island manufacture and production, component assembly, and
support services, through the availability of industrial sites and premises at the right scale, and an established and experienced labour market", he said. "In participating in events such as the All Energy Conference we are
aiming to ensure that increased levels of business and employment opportunities are maximised locally, in the renewable energies sector," he added.

AMEC and British Energy have put forward proposals for Europe’s largest wind farm on Lewis which could create up to 300 jobs in the Islands, the equivalent of 65,000 new jobs in the Scottish economy. The Convener of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Mr. Alex MacDonald, says the potential benefits for the Islands from renewables are enormous but there is a need to address the policy tensions surrounding such proposals: “Substantial economic benefits and community effects would flow from the proposed wind farm - especially from the potential it offers to regenerate the human communities and maintain cultures and traditions vital to the habitats of the islands. The key policy tensions need to be resolved if the communities of the islands are to gain the full benefits from the opportunities that renewable energy and the proposed Lewis wind farm offers. This is particularly so in relation to the interpretation of European directives.”

Iain M Maciver, Factor for the landowners, The Stornoway Trust, said "In the Western Isles we have the wind, the waves and the will required to help us lead the way in Green Energy production. The sheer scale of the Lewis Wind Project is its strength. The financial incentives it can deliver can be of a scale capable of underpinning wide ranging benefits for present and future generations to enjoy in a suitable and environmentally friendly manner".

The Western Isles representatives are on stand 3/3 at the conference. Further information on the All Energy conference is available at www.all-energy.co.uk

Ends

Issued by Nigel Scott
Communications Officer

Tel: 01851 709389 (Work)
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email: nscott@cne-siar.gov.uk