Jardine challenges Government on Chinese influence in UK energy infrastructure

Christine Jardine, Edinburgh West MP and Liberal Democrat Scottish Affairs spokesperson challenged the Government to review the potential security risks arising from Chinese State influence in British energy infrastructure projects.

Mingyang and Orient Cable, two Chinese state-owned companies, have reportedly been linked to several new infrastructure projects in Scotland, including a wind turbine project in the North Sea and subsea cables for island communities.

The software used in wind turbines and cables often remains in the hands of the manufacturer, meaning that a Chinese state-owned company could have remote access to British infrastructure and be able to disrupt the UK’s green energy production.

Ms. Jardine is calling on the UK Government to work with the Scottish Government to make sure that no public money is invested in a partnership with these companies until a detailed risk assessment is undertaken. Jardine was granted an Urgent Question in the House of Commons to raise these points with the UK Government.

Christine Jardine said: 

“It is vital that we protect our energy security from foreign powers. The UK and Scottish Governments must work in close collaboration to make sure that they mitigate security risks with Chinese involvement in new infrastructure projects.

“It would be unacceptable for public money to be spent on a partnership with these companies when we don’t know the future implications, especially given that Norway has blocked Mingyang from their own green infrastructure projects.

“The idea that China might gain access to levers allowing them to potentially shut off our green energy supply is especially worrying.

“The previous Government undertook a rigorous security assessment of Chinese influence in our 5G network, which ultimately led to steps being taken to block Huawei in the UK. I hope that this Government responds to these energy infrastructure projects in a similar vein.”