Energy and natural resources
The case for independence
- Scotland generated a record 38.5 TWh of renewable electricity in 2025.5
- Scotland is a net exporter of electricity: net exports were 20.8 TWh in 2025.5
- A Scottish Government assessment found a hydrogen economy could support or create between 70,000 and more than 300,000 jobs by 2045, depending on the scenario.2
- The SNP says that using Scotland's energy for Scotland's people could lower energy bills “by as much as a third”.6
How it works now
Most energy regulation, including oil and gas and the electricity market, is reserved to Westminster.4
In 2025 Scotland generated a record 38.5 TWh of renewable electricity, and its net electricity exports (exports minus imports) were 20.8 TWh.5
The challenges
- North Sea revenue was £3.2 billion in 2025-26, just 3.2% of Scotland's total revenue.1
How Scotland would meet them
- It says UK energy prices are “amongst the highest in Europe, despite Scotland’s rich energy resources”.3
Source: A Fresh Start with Independence (Paper 14)
Still to be settled
How would the shared GB electricity grid and market work after independence?
This has not been settled, and we have not yet found reliable published analysis. We will add sourced material when it becomes available.
How much North Sea revenue is left?
This has not been settled, and we have not yet found reliable published analysis. We will add sourced material when it becomes available.
Sources
- Scottish Government, Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland 2025-26, 12 August 2026.
- Scottish Government, Hydrogen Policy Statement, Chapter 3: Economic Opportunity, December 2020.
- Scottish Government, A Fresh Start with Independence — Summary (Paper 14), 8 October 2025.
- Scotland Act 1998, Schedule 5 (Reserved matters).
- Scottish Government, Energy Statistics for Scotland – Q4 2025, 2 April 2026.
- SNP, Why is independence vital for Scotland?.