AREG News: AREG releases manifesto ahead of Scottish elections

April 17, 2026
AREG News: AREG releases manifesto ahead of Scottish elections

The Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group has released its manifesto ahead of the Scottish elections on Thursday May 7. As an organization with strong interests in the facilitation of energy transition in Scotland and the UK in general, AREG’s manifesto focused on what it described as non-negotiables for the incoming administration, regardless of which party wins the seat. The manifesto outlines a group of actions which AREG believes is critical for the objective of securing jobs, attracting investment and maintaining Scotland’s position as a global energy leader.

Some of the named points include delivering a long-term energy strategy for the region, investing in Scottish skills & supply chain and driving offshore wind growth.

Speaking on the manifesto, Jean Morrison, AREG chair said “At AREG, we are apolitical. But we also care passionately about our country’s energy future. In the light of the upcoming elections, it is critical for us to state our position clearly, and to highlight the areas of the industry we believe must be adequately addressed and structured. These pillars are fundamental to give Scotland the best chance for a formidable energy industry and to maintain its global renewable energy leadership.”

Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group is also hosting a hustings event that provides a platform for parliamentary candidates to speak directly to their plans for the energy sector in Scotland. The hustings will serve as a rallying point for industry leaders and candidates to interface on the best path forward for the sector. This event will hold on Wednesday April 22 at the W Zero 1 Conference Room, 1 Hareness Road, Altens, Aberdeen. Enquiries about the hustings are to be made here.

The AREG manifesto can be found here.

Get in touch

AREG is the original energy transition organisation, working on behalf of members to empower the energy supply chain and champion its expertise. Please get in touch if you have any questions or would like to find out more about membership.

AREG has played an important role in the growth of Scotland’s renewable energy sector, engaging the supply chain and developing the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre. However, we are only at the very beginning of the transition that AREG was established to both lead and support so there are still opportunities for companies to get into the constantly evolving renewables supply chain. We look forward to continuing our work together as renewables builds on its place as Scotland’s main source of power, and as we seek to deliver real change in the crucial areas of heat and transport.

Scottish Renewables

Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce has worked closely with AREG since its formation. The recent progress in the developments of offshore wind projects by Equinor and Vattenfall are as a result of the work of the group over many years. The north-east is known as the oil and gas capital of Europe. At the Chamber, we believe the region must evolve its position to being recognised as the energy capital. Whilst hydrocarbons will continue to be essential in driving our economy for years to come, the generation of renewable resources will play an increasingly important role in providing cost-effective power, innovative development and economic growth.

Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce

The enthusiasm and dedication of the early group that would become AREG was fundamental in us choosing to launch All-Energy in Aberdeen. The first tiny show was held in 2001, and AREG’s Chairman at the time, Jeremy Cresswell, played such an active role that I often describe him in terms such as All-Energy’s ‘midwife’. All-Energy is now the UK’s largest renewable and low carbon energy exhibition and conference in terms of number of attendees, space booked, and number of exhibiting companies. As AREG became firmly established, their presence and support for the event grew spectacularly over the years. We thank them most sincerely for their invaluable input.

All-Energy

Vattenfall has forged a strong working relationship with AREG through the development of the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre. AREG has worked tirelessly on behalf of the North East and it can take enormous credit for the growth of sustainable energy in the region and the path it has cleared for the region to capture further investment.

Vattenfall

Aberdeen City and Shire is emerging as a key location for renewables by successfully transferring its world-class oil and gas expertise into the sector and AREG has done much to advance this through a broad range of initiatives. It has acted as a catalyst in driving further investment in the local economy by engaging with companies, Government, public bodies and existing projects and we have been pleased to support their efforts. Scottish Enterprise will continue to engage with AREG as we increase Scotland’s use of renewable energy.

Scottish Enterprise