The depute leader of Fife Council has accused the Scottish Government of “procrastinating” over the future of Longannet which looks set to lose 1,000 jobs.
Councillor Lesley Laird, who is also the Labour administration’s spokesperson for economy and planning, said some “really big questions” need answered on both the power station and issues around fracking and underground coal gasification (UCG).
She said the Scottish Government, as part of a balanced energy strategy, could have undertaken a joint venture with Scottish Power and invested in carbon capture or alternatively converted Longannet to a gas-fired power station.
But instead, she said, they chose to do none of these and now 260 direct jobs and potentially up to 700 supply chain employees were at risk.
Mrs Laird has also called for UCG to be subject to the same level of scrutiny as fracking before any decisions are made about its deployment.
She said it should be rolled into and included as part of the assessment covered by the moratorium on fracking
“It’s a concern that UCG does not appear at this time to be given this same status and level of examination.
“If there are options to save Longannet and give it a future then they should be explored,” she said.
“The bottom line is we need a cohesive and sustainable energy strategy.”
Last week a way to save Longannet’s future was mapped out by oil and gas industry veteran Algy Cluff.
He believes his company’s UCG development project can secure its future and help meet the UK’s energy needs.
A study has found as much as 335 million tonnes of coal near Kincardine and Cluff Natural Resources is seeking permission to build the UK’s first deep offshore underground coal gasification project to extract it. However, campaigners have raised concerns about potential environmental impact.
Mrs Laird added: “If a rescue is still possible then we will all be celebrating.
“But meanwhile, back in the real world we are already working and in dialogue with the Scottish Government to set up a task force to deal with the fall-out of the potential closure.”
She said concerns remained about the knock-on effect on what remains of the opencast coal industry and the various restoration projects in Scotland.