Committee publication · Correspondence · 19 March 2025
Letter from Just Transition Commission, regarding oral evidence presented to the Scottish Affairs Committee as part of its inquiry into GB Energy and the net zero transition inquiry, dated 6 February 2025
Summary
The Just Transition Commission writes to the Scottish Affairs Committee following oral evidence on 22 January 2025, sharing four reports and briefings on just transition planning for GB Energy and Scotland's net zero transition. The Commission emphasises conditions for success—transformational leadership, workforce planning, and community wealth—and identifies game changers including regional delivery models, diverse workforce development, and community ownership of renewable energy.
Key findings
- Annual Report 2024 identifies five conditions for success: transformational leadership, managing jobs gaps, prioritising just transition in climate policy, maximising social/economic infrastructure impact, and preventing postcode lottery effects.
- Seven game changers proposed include regional delivery models, future workforce diversification, community shared ownership of renewables, investment oversight, and four-nation cooperation.
- Grangemouth briefing calls for a plan earning local trust, establishing it as first of rapid just transition plans for Scotland's highest-emitting sites, and developing an economic model beyond refinery operations.
- Shetland briefing emphasises empowering local democratic structures, enabling community ownership of developments and revenues, and establishing equitable compensatory mechanisms for those affected by net zero infrastructure.
- Commission notes critical interdependencies with UK Government reserved policies and commits to write to Scottish Government identifying key cooperation areas.
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Just Transition Commission, Patricia Ferguson MP, Scottish Affairs Committee, Professor Dave Reay, Satwat Rehman, Tavistock Institute of Human Relations, University of Edinburgh, University of Glasgow
Notable line
“Transformational leadership: operationalising just transition must now be a key priority.”
Key Quotes
“The just transition plan for Grangemouth must earn the trust of the workforce and the local community.”
“Shetland demonstrates the importance of empowering local people - value can be created for communities when local democratic structures have the power, legitimacy, knowledge and capacity to negotiate and partner effectively with industry.”
“Consistent and equitable compensatory mechanisms need to be developed for those whose livelihoods are directly impinged upon by infrastructure development and other changes required for Net Zero.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗