While Scotland is committed to achieving Net Zero by 2045, fossil fuels will still play a role during the transition. This is primarily due to the existing reliance on oil and gas for energy, industry, and heating, as well as the need for reliable backup energy sources during periods when renewable energy production, like wind or solar, is low. In the short-to-medium term, fossil fuels can provide stability and flexibility to the energy grid as Scotland scales up renewable energy infrastructure and energy storage solutions. Additionally, certain industries, like heavy manufacturing and petrochemicals, are still highly dependent on fossil fuels, and transitioning these sectors requires time for the development of alternative technologies, such as green hydrogen or carbon capture and storage (CCS).
Furthermore, the oil and gas sector in Scotland is a significant part of the economy, supporting jobs and revenues. A gradual transition allows for retraining and diversification within the workforce, helping to mitigate social and economic impacts.
Scottish Government’s Programme for Government 2025 to 2026 states: “Our commitment to net zero will help boost our economic growth. A key priority of the Programme for Government 2025 to 2026 is tackling the climate emergency through transformational action which contributes to a just transition to net zero.”
Increasingly, in future years, we will see many more companies trialling a wider range of new technologies and solutions that will help extract fossil fuels in a cleaner and less impactful way, while ensuring the process is more sustainable, minimises costs, and ultimately reduces their carbon footprint.
This section provides examples of a research, teaching or innovation taking place at Robert Gordon University related to this topic.
RGU - Why are energy companies still working in oil and gas? We know our future is in low-carbon, renewable, alternative energy sources. So why do we continue extracting, producing, and consuming fossil fuels?
Professor Paul de Leeuw from RGU’s Energy Transition Institute discusses the options.
UK Government - How the government will implement its policy on support for the fossil fuel energy sector overseas https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-the-government-will-implement-its-policy-on-support-for-the-fossil-fuel-energy-sector-overseas