UK Labour ministers have been warned over walking into a “domestic energy trap” as green targets could mean years of importing “transitional” fuel from Qatar and the USA.
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is produced by purifying natural gas and cooling it to -162C.
Experts have flagged LNG as bridging a gap in heating rural Scottish homes and businesses which are not connected to the mains gas network, and the demand will “increase rapidly”.
It is also used in marine travel and will power the long-delayed Calmac ferries MV Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa. They will run on Qatari imports until bulk storage terminals are built in Ardrossan and Uig. Crown LNG is due to make its final investment decision for a floating import terminal near Grangemouth next year. (2025)
Shadow energy minister Andrew Bowie asked the UK Government minister responsible whether any calculation had been made of how that will affect imports.
Labour’s Michael Shanks said his department “do not hold estimates of required volumes” for imports between 2025 and 2030.
Mr Bowie, Scottish Conservative MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, said: “LNG produces 20% less carbon than traditional marine gas, so there is a good argument for using it in vessels as a transitional fuel while other clean energies are being developed.
“But importing that as shale gas from the US, or from Qatar, is twice as carbon intensive as it would be using North Sea production.
“So it is hugely worrying that Labour do not seem to place any value in the strategic management of our energy supplies, domestic or international. Ignoring a large, growing lower-carbon sector, just because it’s not renewable, is a mistake.
“If we offshore our responsibilities and emissions, we have no means to control them and Mr Shanks is potentially making the mistake of walking into a domestic energy trap.”
A consultant’s report for Scottish Enterprise, published in 2018, found:
“The research found that demand for LNG as fuel for transportation was expected to increase rapidly, but from a very low base…
“There has been an increase in the take-up of LNG in the UK. New proposed investments in Scotland and the North of England are seeking to meet growing demand.
“Utilising more LNG appears to provide an opportunity to contribute to emissions reductions, develop low carbon technologies, linking energy efficiency, security and economic growth.”
