Protest outside Bute House targets Peterhead gas plant — SkimNews
Get the Energy newsletter
Daily energy & climate — solar, EVs, oil, the policy fights and tech bets shaping the transition. Free.
- Environmental campaigners staged a Halloween-themed demonstration outside Bute House in Edinburgh, gathering on Charlotte Square with masks and placards reading "fossil fuel ghouls" and "this decision will haunt you".
- Scottish government gave the go-ahead for a new gas-fired power station at Peterhead, prompting the protest; ministers said potential effects on communities, nature, cultural heritage and the cumulative effects of developments were important considerations.
- Friends of the Earth Scotland called the Peterhead approval a "catastrophic failure," saying fossil-fuel burning drives extreme weather such as recent storms, record heat and flooding.
- Kate Whitaker described fossil fuels as "scary" because they harm millions of people, and urged politicians to pursue warmer homes, reliable bus services and green jobs rather than approvals for new oil and gas.
- Scottish government reaffirmed its commitment to tackling climate change and reaching net zero by 2045, while saying the ministers’ decision letter set out the full grounds for approval.
- UK government announced that the Jackdaw gas field near Aberdeen would be allowed to go ahead; the protest also followed that announcement.
Why it matters: The dispute places the Scottish government’s 2045 net-zero commitment against two fossil-fuel decisions: approval of the Peterhead gas-fired power station and the UK government’s decision to allow the Jackdaw gas field near Aberdeen. Friends of the Earth Scotland says this leaves households facing an increasing energy-bill burden, while ministers say community, nature and cultural-heritage effects were important considerations.
Ask SkimNews
