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We all have a responsibility to play a part in that, all being leaders in the public discourse around what is going to be required. Obviously, Government has already taken many actions. We are supporting some of our stakeholders in the actions that they take, for instance with local government, and in the action that is going to be required. We touched on the transmission infrastructure and the understandable need for communities to have information and comfort around what that is going to mean for them—making sure that people have an understanding of why this is all going to be necessary.

There will be difficult things that mean that we all have to change our behaviours, and that will impact on all our lives. However, the challenge that we face is going to be even greater if we do not take this action. This summer we saw the major impact of climate change through the wildfires and extreme weather that hit parts of the world, including Hawaii, the Greek islands and parts of Scotland.

It is incumbent on us to ensure that we are taking our responsibility seriously but that we are also taking people with us and explaining that. As I say, it is a responsibility of the Government but also a responsibility of all of us. Some of the public debate—to be fair, mostly outside these walls and in other institutions—has not been helpful. I really fear that the public discourse that we get from elsewhere on the need for climate change or net zero measures, which are going to be uncomfortable for some people, is not helpful. We need much stronger leadership on the responsibilities that we all have and that we will pay for collectively, as a society, in order to achieve those targets, which are absolutely essential to meet.

I note the emphasis on the word “brief”, and I appreciate that. Thank you.

Good morning, colleagues, and thank you for inviting me to the committee this morning. As we all recognise, we are at a pivotal point in our energy transition. Although Scotland has made excellent strides along the path to net zero, there is still much to do. We need to realise our enormous renewables potential, including in hydrogen and offshore wind. We know that our electricity demand will increase as we increasingly decarbonise the economy, so, to achieve a net zero energy system that can support that wider decarbonisation, we need increasing amounts of clean energy generation and we need our electricity networks to be fit for the net zero future. We need significant investment in our electricity networks to reduce constraint costs and to ensure that green power is available where it is needed.

The United Kingdom appointed independent Electricity Networks Commissioner, Nick Winser, recently set out his recommendations on accelerating the delivery of network infrastructure, and we look forward to working with UK Government colleagues and wider stakeholders on considering and actioning those recommendations.

Since my last appearance in May, we have had welcome confirmation from the UK Government that Acorn is best placed to deliver track 2 CCUS objectives. It is very good news but, as of yet, the UK Government has not published any timescales or further details for the next steps of the project. That should happen as a matter of urgency. It is not just me or the Scottish Government saying that; it is an ask of industry. It is vital that the UK Government moves at pace on Acorn, not just to provide certainty for the industry but to ensure that the project can make a massive contribution to reducing our carbon emissions as quickly as possible. Recent events have demonstrated that we have no time to waste and that we must accelerate our transition to net zero while ensuring maximum economic benefits for Scotland.

I look forward to taking your questions, convener. I hope that that was pithy enough for you.

As I said, making sure that we take communities with us as far as we can is incredibly important. Where we have energy generation infrastructure going in, we have a very clear and high bar of expectation on community benefit. I am keen that we are as creative as we can be to make that community benefit go as far as possible, to make sure that there are economic development opportunities and the social infrastructure that potentially comes from that. I hope that we can get to a place soon where that is possible with transmission infrastructure as well, so that we ensure that demonstrable community benefit can be realised from those developments.

We also have to take into account the incredible economic opportunity that comes from the substantial investment in our grid infrastructure that will be required. A substantial number of jobs will be required to build the infrastructure, and, again, similar to the strategy that we are taking for our energy generation, we want to make sure that we have a supply chain based here in Scotland to ensure that there is maximum economic benefit.

To answer directly your question on whether we can ask industry to do more to provide as much information as early as possible, obviously we already do that. You are right to say that industry is pretty well aware of what will be required. Trying to get that more into the public consciousness and having a greater understanding of why that is required will be incredibly important. The majority of the infrastructure will be required to ensure that we realise our ScotWind potential and take the huge energy potential that is lying particularly off the north coast and move that down south. We need to make sure, as I said, that we take communities with us on that journey.

I appreciate Mr Lumsden’s question. I am pleased that we have taken another step forward, but it is one step, and I think that Mr Lumsden would accept that, until we have further clarity on which emitters will be included, and a timescale, it will be difficult for full progress to be made.

We interact with the UK Government. There have been a number of meetings on the matter at official and ministerial level, and we are, as you would expect—and, I hope, support—trying to push UK colleagues to go as fast as possible to ensure that such decisions are taken to give certainty and to help to unlock the Scottish Government funding, because we cannot spend the £80 million until we know which emitters will be included and where we will be able to add maximum value.

We want the UK Government to go much faster. Industry does as well, and that is a very strong call from industry, which is clear that further delay absolutely risks our ability in Scotland and that of the UK Government to meet our net zero targets. Carbon capture, as Mr Lumsden will be aware, plays an incredibly important role in that.

The £80 million is there and is committed for carbon capture when the decision is taken and when we know where we will be able to add the greatest value. That can happen only when there is certainty about which emitters will be included in the project.

We have already set out some of the funds that support that and the important part that carbon capture will play in that regard, and we will ensure that continued progress is made in sectors that are going through a decarbonisation process—I am thinking of the likes of Mossmorran and Grangemouth. The funds that Mr Lumsden mentioned, on which Nick Young and Kersti Berge have given more information, are our key focus.

Thank you, convener. You are right—it is important that we speak with as much clarity as possible for people.

Obviously, the Scottish National Investment Bank has a key role to play in our reaching net zero. It is independent of Government, but it has been tasked with a goal. One of its priority areas is net zero and ensuring that the investments that it makes support us in that journey. It has resources to utilise to ensure that it supports projects that can help us with a just energy transition. I meet and engage regularly with SNIB to ensure that it updates me on progress and on the work that it is doing. I have also been at a number of events where I have seen how it is supporting organisations already.

SNIB’s investment proposition will be important, as will private capital. We know that it will not be possible for public finance alone to help us in this journey. We will not be able to realise our renewable energy potential or our decarbonisation responsibilities without the support of private capital. Ensuring that there continue to be investable propositions is part of my responsibility, working alongside other colleagues in the Government. We continue to engage with the likes of SNIB and the First Minister’s investor panel so that we do everything that we can to ensure that our energy and decarbonisation plans are all as attractive as possible in order to get maximum response and meet our 2045 target.

It is always best to keep us all above board, convener.

With due respect, convener, I gave that answer. Mr Tydeman will give the committee an update, and that has to be based on decisions that are still to be taken by the MCA on whether the mitigations that will be taken on the design of the ferry will be appropriate for the MCA to pass those ferries as safe to operate. Those discussions are on-going, which is why I cannot give a date.

I say with respect that the discussions with the MCA are still on-going. That is why I am ensuring that Mr Tydeman has the opportunity to give the committee and me the update on the conclusion of discussions with the MCA, which I hope will be a positive conclusion. I cannot give an update until those discussions are concluded. I think that that is pretty clear.