25 Jul 2025
Fifty Scottish local councils have demanded an urgent summit with ministers to rein in what they are calling a “green energy wild west,” as reported in The Herald.
They warn that the unchecked surge of renewable projects across rural Scotland is running roughshod over proper planning, genuine community engagement, and the very environmental safeguards that green energy is meant to protect.
Across council areas, particularly in the Highlands and Islands, frustration is reaching breaking point. Local leaders argue that the current planning framework is not only insufficient but bordering on chaotic, with the sheer scale and pace of proposed developments leaving communities powerless and landscapes scarred. Concerns centre on a planning system that seems designed to facilitate rapid build‑out at all costs, ignoring long‑term consequences for both people and place.
The councils are pressing the Scottish Government to convene a ministerial summit to overhaul how the renewables rollout is managed. Their demands include:
A transparent strategy and timeline for approving projects
Meaningful consultation with communities, not box‑ticking exercises
A clear framework that aligns energy expansion with local infrastructure, environmental capacity, and sensitive areas
As of early 2024, over 16 GW of wind capacity was installed – nearly 10 GW onshore and almost 3 GW offshore. In January 2024, Scotland generated 113% of its own electricity demand from renewables, a record‑breaking figure. And the government’s targets remain ambitious: meeting 50% of all energy demand from renewables by 2030 and reaching net‑zero emissions by 2045.
But councils warn that ambition without accountability is creating winners and losers, and rural communities are paying the price. A local MSP condemned the “wild west” of renewables now spreading across the Highlands, where developers chase profits while local voices are sidelined. Among the most common grievances:
Fragmented planning applications, with no coherent regional vision
Cumulative environmental effects being swept under the rug
Communities treated as obstacles, not partners, in Scotland’s energy transition
Calls for reform come as the Scottish Energy Minister declined to attend a major grassroots summit in the Highlands – an absence that many have branded tone‑deaf at best, dismissive at worst. For councils already feeling abandoned, the snub reinforces the perception that decisions are being made in Edinburgh boardrooms, far removed from those living with the consequences.
Highland community councils are not standing alone in their resistance. Across the Borders, councils, campaigners, and residents are questioning why NPF4 promotes vast infrastructure developments without properly considering regional cumulative impacts, environmental degradation, and community wellbeing.
John Williams, chair of Heriot Community Council, said: “Across Scotland, communities are waking up to the reality that NPF4 is not a tool for balanced progress – it’s a bulldozer for top-down, unchecked development. In the name of so-called green energy, we are being asked to sacrifice our cherished landscapes, our wildlife, and our rural heritage – often for projects that deliver no real benefit to the people who live here.”
The country stands at a crossroads, many are calling for a national strategy. Scotland’s renewable energy revolution risks eroding public trust if it bulldozes through communities in the race to meet targets. A ministerial summit must be more than a photo opportunity; it is a test of whether the journey to net zero will remain accountable, inclusive, and rooted in the landscapes and lives it seeks to transform.
The full story can be read in The Herald: https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/25339270.50-scots-councils-seek-ministers-summit-green-energy-wild-west/