The SNP has launched a campaign to protect Peterhead Power Station as the question of the facility’s future continues to loom over the town.
Earlier this year operators SSE announced there was uncertainty over long-term plans for the site.
The facility south of Peterhead had previously been earmarked for an overhaul as part of plans for carbon capture and storage (CCS) scheme which was later ditched.
The plant employs nearly 100 people.
Now the SNP’s Banff and Buchan candidate Eilidh Whiteford is urging local people to join her campaign to keep the plant operation.
Ms Whiteford – who is seeking re-election in the north-east constituency – is calling for CCS to be revived as well as challenging the “unfair” transmission charges which make Peterhead less commercially competitive.
“The development of CCS technology at Peterhead would have been a landmark first for Scotland, providing hundreds of jobs for the local economy and developing low-carbon technology,” she said.
“The Tories have put the future job security of the workforce in jeopardy by abandoning CCS, and are continuing to penalise the facility further with unfair transmission charges.
“The UK will be heavily reliant on gas for many years to come, and it makes no sense to jeopardise Scotland’s last remaining gas power station.”
Ms Whiteford said the town could have been a “world leader in CCS” and remains an ideal location to test the technology either on a small scale at nearby St Fergus or on a full scale at the power station.
“I will be pressing for plans for CCS to be revived.”
SNP candidate for Aberdeen South Callum McCaig added CCS has the potential to “create thousands of jobs for Aberdeen – Aberdeenshire and beyond”.
Last night Conservative Banff and Buchan candidate David Duguid said he would always campaign to “protect jobs in this area”, especially for young people.
He added: “CCS has a part to play in the future energy mix, but at the moment, it remains very expensive and will come at a huge cost to the consumer. In fact, the estimated cost to consumers in 2015 was £8.9billion, up from a maximum of £6billion in 2012.”
Ms Whiteford and Mr Duguid are contesting the Banff and Buchan seat against Labour’s Caitlin Stott and Liberal Democrat Galen Milne.
