Election / Lib Dem and SNP candidates clash over energy policy
TWO ELECTION candidates have clashed again over energy, with SNP hopeful Hannah Mary Goodlad accusing Emma Macdonald of having “nothing to show” for years of campaigning for a ‘Shetland tariff’.
However Macdonald, the candidate for the Liberal Democrats at May’s Scottish elections, said Goodlad seemed focused on what might happen in a “future independent Scotland” rather than Shetland itself.
It comes after Goodlad claimed that Macdonald and her party were providing “warm words that cannot be delivered” in relation to energy and community benefit.
It is the second such clash between the pair in the space of a week, following a Shetland News report last week that Goodlad had been accused of taking “cheap shots” by Macdonald.
This time around Goodlad again took aim at Macdonald’s recent motion to stop Shetland renewable projects until “real community benefit” is achieved.
The SNP candidate said Macdonald had spent years calling for a Shetland tariff “with nothing to show for it”, adding: “It’s never been quite clear what a Shetland Tariff meant or how it would work in practice.”
She accused the Liberal Democrats of sitting on the fence over major energy decisions – including the Viking wind farm – and of “bemoaning” the system but not influencing change.
“Like everyone in Shetland, I want to see bills lowered and fuel poverty eliminated. But we must be honest about where the power to do that lies,” Goodlad said.
“Energy pricing is reserved to the UK Government. The Scottish Government does not set electricity prices.
“In summer 2025, the UK Government rejected zonal pricing for Scotland – a change that could have lowered Shetland households’ bills substantially.
“If Westminster would not introduce that for Scotland as a whole, it is unrealistic to expect a bespoke ‘Shetland Tariff’ for 23,000 people.”
Goodlad said there was a difference between “what is desirable and what is deliverable”.
Again, she claimed Macdonald had not been able to “explain how exactly” a Shetland tariff would work in practice.
Goodlad said in the short term, a “practical step would be establishing a community-owned electricity supply company to negotiate a local Power Purchase Agreement with Viking Energy”.
“That could secure a long-term fixed price above wholesale but below retail, helping bring down bills for Shetland households,” she added.
“Energy Local Clubs are another interesting idea to decentralise energy markets and reduce bills.”
The SNP candidate said the long-term solution is “structural” – “devolving energy policy fully to Scotland and pushing decision-making as close to Shetland as possible, as set out in my proposed Shetland Energy Act”.
In response to Goodlad, Macdonald said the Scottish Government had never backed zonal pricing anyway – and said Shetlanders wanted “clear answers on energy bills”, which Goodlad was not providing.
“She says the Scottish Government has no role in bringing down electricity costs, but it was Nicola Sturgeon who promised almost a decade ago to set up a publicly-owned energy company that would lower bills for families and businesses,” Macdonald said.
“People in Shetland are entitled to ask what happened to that promise.
“The reality is that the SNP have only just updated their guidance on community benefit from renewables, and even now the recommended levels are still pretty pitiful compared to the scale of the developments taking place.
“Communities like Shetland deserve a much stronger deal.”
Macdonald also said that the SNP’s record on reducing fuel poverty in Shetland “speaks for itself”, referring to a story earlier this week.
She accused the SNP government of a lack of urgency in tackling isles fuel poverty, after it was revealed just 3.6 per cent of Shetland households had been supported under the 11-year period of the Warmer Homes initiative.
“That simply isn’t good enough when so many families are struggling with the cost of heating their homes,” Macdonald added.
“What I’ve been focused on is making sure Shetland actually sees a fair share of the benefits from the energy being produced here. If we’re hosting major developments and helping power the country, it’s only right that our community should benefit properly from that.
“The SNP candidate seems focused on what might happen in some future independent Scotland, but the reality is that people in Shetland are worried about the bills landing on their kitchen table right now.
“For me, that’s what this election should be about. Making sure Shetland gets a fair deal from the energy being generated around us and taking real steps to bring bills down for local households.”
Goodlad said that the Liberal Democrats “need to start being honest” about where power lies in making decisions on electricity and energy.
“Shetland deserves straight talking and workable solutions. Not warm words that cannot be delivered,” she added.
Other election candidates publicly confirmed so far for the Shetland constituency are in alphabetical order: Alex Armitage (Greens), John Erskine (Labour) and Brian Nugent (Alliance to Liberate Scotland).
A candidate for Reform UK will be announced on 19 March, the party has said.
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