Engineers want to inform government's energy policy

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Civil engineers want the Scottish government's energy policy to be informed by expert advice.

The Institution of Civil Engineers Scotland (ICE) will call for a national debate on energy in a report due to be published next month.

The organisation wants the government to outline how the gap caused by cuts to electricity-generating capacity will be filled.

The government said it had a "balanced energy mix to provide energy security".

The report will also highlight Scotland's energy "quadrilemma" - the need to reduce carbon, cut consumer costs, ensure security of supply and take into account the social acceptability of different types of energy sources.

It was announced earlier this year that Longannet, the largest power station in Scotland and the second largest in the UK, would be shut down in March next year after 46 years of producing power.

Fracking debate

Debates continue over the potential use of fracking, the controversial gas drilling technique which is currently subject to a Scottish government moratorium, and the extent to which onshore wind farms are used across Scotland.

Professor Gary Pender, of Ice Scotland, said: "Scotland will transition from being a net exporter to being a net importer of electricity if the closures of Longannet, Hunterston and Torness are not replaced by new development.

"We will be calling for a national debate on how we, as a country, deal with this to ensure that we have a resilient supply with sufficient capacity for the long term.

"Energy policy is hugely politically controversial, with wind power, nuclear power and onshore gas extraction provoking particularly emotional and politically-motivated responses.

"We need to move beyond this, at times, irrational and ill-informed discourse about all these forms of energy generation and conduct a thorough, expert-informed assessment of the right approach for Scotland."

Ice Scotland represents 8,000 people.

A Scottish government spokeswoman said: "Scotland's abundant energy resources play a vital role in delivering security of electricity supply across the UK; Scotland exported 28% of all electricity generated in 2013.

"We have a clear policy for a balanced energy mix to provide energy security for the future that balances fossil fuels alongside the growing importance of renewables, which again saw record levels of generation last year, and without the need for new nuclear power.

"As we move to a low-carbon energy system over the longer term, we expect Scotland to maintain its position as a net exporter of power even after Longannet closes, whereas the UK as a whole is increasingly reliant on imports from other European countries."