We have submitted our response to the National Energy System Operator’s (NESO) consultation on the transitional Regional Energy Strategic Plan (tRESP). 

Read our full response here: Final DTAS response to tRESP

Drawing from consultation with our members, our extensive on the ground experience, and participation in the Scottish Community Coalition on Energy  our response is clear: a fair, resilient, and inclusive energy future must recognise communities not as stakeholders, but as partners. tRESP must support models that enable community energy ownership, invest in building resilience, and ensure that local people directly benefit from the infrastructure they host.

We have responded to the areas of the consultation which matter most to our members and their communities:

Nations and Regions Context: This section of the consultation sets out an overview of Scotland’s energy landscape, its challenges, priorities, and opportunities.

We welcomed the realistic overview of Scotland’s energy pressures but called for key community issues to be given greater prominence, including:

• Community Energy and Shared Ownership: explicit recognition of community and shared ownership as central to the energy transition, with data on community-led generation and outcomes included in future planning.

• Fuel Poverty and Local Benefit: targeted investment in areas with high fuel poverty, particularly where renewable energy is already being produced, to ensure those hosting infrastructure also benefit from it.

• Rural and Island Challenges: recognition of the unique constraints of rural and island areas, such as single-phase electricity and grid capacity issues, and investment to upgrade these systems.

• Energy Efficiency and Heat: improved integration of housing energy efficiency and heat network data, and support for upgrading older and community-owned buildings.

• Community Sentiment: We are calling for improved engagement and transparency to address local concerns and build trust in renewable developments.

Strategic Investment: This section explores where investment in grid and energy infrastructure will be prioritised across Scotland.

• Transparent Prioritisation: A clear scoring framework that shows how social value and community need are weighted against commercial considerations.

• Community Energy: prioritise community energy projects in the grid connection queue, recognising their long-term social and environmental value.

• Rural and Island Focus: Strategic investment in remote and grid-constrained regions, including the Highlands, Islands, and areas like Sutherland and Applecross, where fuel poverty is highest and infrastructure weakest.

• Inclusive Data and Mapping: Overlaying fuel poverty, rurality, and socio-economic data with tRESP hotspots to ensure investment decisions reflect real community needs.

• Proactive Engagement: Direct engagement with communities to gather evidence of need and co-develop solutions that support local resilience and benefit.

Read our full response here: Final DTAS response to tRESP