SNP: Scotland will run on 50pc renewable energy

The Scottish National Party (SNP) has declared that almost a third of Scotland's energy supply will be green in three years.

The Scottish National Party (SNP) has declared that almost a third of Scotland's energy supply will be green in three years.

Through the UK's largest biomass plant, to be constructed in Fife, first minister Alex Salmond outlined how he intends to see 31 per cent of Scotland's energy delivered from renewable sources by 2011.

Furthermore, Mr Salmond has explained that by 2050 the renewable energy will account for 50 per cent of the country's total energy consumption.

Scotland has already been making a name for itself for its uptake of renewable energies, and it plans are currently well under way to create a shared grid of green power between Scotland, Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The grid will make use of wind and wave power, and will be used as an example of the potential to create and share energy in the future.

Currently, similar schemes on a larger scale are being planned for Europe, by green energy company Airtricity.

Following "myriad" regulation problems, Npower has now been given the go-ahead to begin building the biomass plant, at Markinch, outside of Glenrothes, and will contribute £100 million to its construction.

The Scottish government will itself contribute £8 million.