Watchdog calls for clarity on use of £755m ScotWind cash

Energy Minister Stephen Gethins told BBC Scotland the government had taken a more long-term approach, with an estimated £80m-£110m in annual income over the 60-year lifetime of the project.

He contrasted this with the revenues from oil and gas which were not “reinvested” by the UK government unlike Norway which has built up a huge wealth fund.

Gethins confirmed the Scottish government’s commitment to set up a ScotWind Wealth Fund by the end of the current parliamentary term and said the £96m they had already spent was a “one-off”.

The minister added: “I recognise the importance of providing clarity on how offshore wind revenues will be managed, and we will continue to do so through our annual budget setting process.”

Scottish Labour energy spokesman Daniel Johnson said: “The SNP sold off our seabeds on the cheap and then spent years frittering away the proceeds plugging their own budget gaps.

“With hundreds of millions of pounds on the table, the SNP must set out how it will put this money to good use.”

Scottish Conservative energy spokesman Liam Kerr said SNP ministers had an “aversion to transparency”.

“They have repeatedly used these funds to plug other gaps in Scotland’s finances which are facing a £5bn blackhole thanks to two decades of SNP economic mismanagement.”