Section 11 - People: Communication
There is much to be done to make sure that Shetland gains the most benefits from the energy transition for the prosperity of its community and environment. A big part of this comes down to communicating with wide range of stakeholders.
Communications around energy should aim to engage in 3 ways:
- Inform – Providing party(s) with balanced and objective information about energy transition options to build knowledge and skills in the community and across partners in order to assist decision making
- Involve – any processes where adaptation and mitigation strategies are negotiated through the party(s) actively engaging in energy transition decision-making and policy planning
- Empower – party(s) take forward their understanding of how energy transitions will affect them, and take action to improve resilience (Net Zero Nation) by sharing decision making power to achieve lasting change
Informative and transparent communications are essential for the Shetland Energy Strategy to:
Inform
- Raise awareness of key issues around energy use, generation, distribution, etc.
- Provide resources for enabling the transition and achieving tasks in this strategy
Involve
- Open dialogue and start conversations about what will most impact the local community and businesses in Shetland
- Receive feedback from stakeholders
Empower
- Advocate and input into national government policy
- Identify achievable pathways forward for Shetland’s energy future
What are the strategy’s main messages about Shetland’s energy future?
The main messages that we hope to share across the Council and its partners align with those in the Climate Change Strategy. The following communications summary aligns to the Climate Change Strategy.
Single overarching communication objective (SOCO)
Climate change is/will highly impact Shetland, but if we act now and in the right way, Shetland can benefit.
Energy
Shetland: creating a whole energy system with secure and affordable clean energy.
Transport - Shetland Reducing dependence on fossil fuels in favour of low carbon future fuels.
Affordable energy - generating energy locally at affordable prices and reducing energy consumption
Resource Use - optimising infrastructure use and minimising waste
Business & Industry - creating & retaining wealth through a just energy transition
Energy Efficiency - reducing energy demand through behaviour change & technology
Environmental Protection - protecting & restoring the health of our natural environment.
Stakeholder mapping – Who are we communicating with?
Community
- Individuals
- Schools & colleges
- Community groups
- Third sector
- Public bodies
Regional
- Islands Deal
- Islands Centre for Net Zero
- Regional Energy Hubs
Industry
- Established Energy Industry
- Terminal Operators
- Renewables Developers
- Technology Developers
- Economic Sectors
National
- Regulators
- Scottish Government
- UK Government
International
- Export Routes
- National Governments
What are we hoping to achieve?
The staff of all organisations that deliver this strategy are the enablers taking forward the communications from this strategy. It is therefore important that internal communication channels are strongly aligned to carry the same messages to our stakeholders.
There are additional benefits to strong internal communications amongst our staff, services, and partners to play a large role in the success of any strategy for Shetland by:
- Aligning work packages and avoiding duplicated work
- Efficiently using resources (personnel, money, and time)
- Empowering staff & partners to take forward their own energy initiatives within and beyond their service areas.
With such a wide range of stakeholders, engagement for each must be customised by what outcomes we hope to achieve with each stakeholder group. Our objectives across the various high-level stakeholders are:
Community:
- Inform: raising awareness of various energy initiatives and topics
- Involve: co-creating a clean energy vision for Shetland
- Empower: support the community in their own initiatives
Regional:
- Inform: Info-sharing innovations and sharing limited resources in island regions
- Involve: Promoting collaboration to link each island hub into a regional hub
Industry
- Inform: showcasing Shetland’s capacity and capability as the ideal local for renewables development and investment
National
- Inform: promoting Shetland’s resources as a benefit to the national energy system
- Empower: Advocating for Shetland input into national targets and the challenges for island communities to achieve them
International
- Inform: broadcasting Shetland’s location as ideal for exportation of future fuels
We will statements for Communication
- We will set clear communication objectives.
- We will use the governance structures as a mechanism to strengthen and streamline the network of stakeholder working groups.
- We will engage with stakeholders to share the narrative.