Scottish Labour will still oppose the controversial Cambo oil field despite soaring energy bills and the Ukraine crisis.
Anas Sarwar said his party must focus on “saving the planet” but admitted “immediate risks” during the cost-of-living crisis have to be tackled.
Shell decided not to invest in the new North Sea oil field in December after Nicola Sturgeon said it should not be given the “green light”.
The first minister had initially been reluctant to directly oppose the Cambo project but eventually came out against it.
It’s feared ruling out further North Sea oil and gas production could send heating bills even higher as the West’s dispute with Russia over their invasion of Ukraine escalates.
But Mr Sarwar insisted at Labour’s Glasgow conference that Nicola Sturgeon was correct to oppose Cambo and said his own party would not be reversing their stance.
He added that protecting workers in the north-east must be crucial as the country moves away from fossil fuels.
‘Saving the planet remains focus’
He told the BBC: “I think renewables clearly has to be a huge part of the focus.
“I think in how we wind down from oil and gas, I think we need to be careful how we do it, both in terms of that supply, but also more importantly in terms of jobs.
On whether he would back Cambo, he said: “No. I don’t think we can say now that we see new risks in the world, we forget saving our planet. I think we have to do both.
“Yes, we have to address the immediate risk we face from Russia, the immediate risk we face to our energy security, but we’ve also got to save our planet in the process.”
The Scottish Labour leader hinted new nuclear power plants should be considered to help ease pressure on household bills.
Currently the SNP oppose nuclear energy with the last functional station in Scotland set to close in 2028.
Speaking at the party conference, a Labour MSP said Scottish Government profits from the ScotWind deal should be ring fenced for a renewables fund.
The party’s net zero spokesperson Colin Smyth said: “Just weeks after they sank plans for a publicly owned Scottish energy firm, the SNP leased Scotland’s sea beds entirely to private overseas-owned firms.
“Instead of investing in building Scotland’s future, the SNP want to invest in padding shareholders payouts abroad.
“Every penny the Scottish Government does receive should be ring fenced for a Scottish Renewables Fund.”
Earlier this week Mr Sarwar insisted the route to power in Scotland runs through the north-east.
But the Scottish Tories accused Labour of abandoning workers in the region with their opposition to Cambo.
‘Sensible transition’
The party’s net zero shadow cabinet secterary Liam Kerr said: “Time and time again we have seen Labour abandon Scottish oil and gas workers, particularly in the north-east.
“Continuing to oppose projects like Cambo will only increase our reliance on foreign sources with lower environmental standards than our own, and that will increase environmental damage.”
“Now more than ever we should be using our own energy sources to meet our domestic demands, and vitally to ensure a sensible transition for skilled workers.”