Cara Dalzell, Policy Manager at Scottish Renewables, said: “Scotland’s small-scale hydropower sector provides jobs, investment and clean electricity in some of the most rural parts of the country.
“Business rates make up a substantial portion of a small hydropower project’s costs, and uncertainty over how much those projects must pay, now and in future, puts the viability of existing projects at risk.
“The end of the UK Government’s Feed-in Tariff support scheme, combined with the uncertainty over Business Rates, means it is difficult to secure the investment required to build new projects.
“In its Energy Strategy the Scottish Government committed to a vision of ‘small scale hydro playing an important role in our economy and our energy mix as we make the transition into a low carbon future’.
“We look forward to working with the Scottish Government to deliver a healthy future for small hydropower in Scotland as it considers its response to this review.”
