Scottish ministers have received 102 bids for cash from a multi-million pound fund set up to help the north-east transition away from oil and gas.
A total of £20 million will be released to projects across the north-east and Moray over the current financial year from a £500m pot to be spent over the next decade.
The application window for the first year of this fund closed in July, with successful applicants informed of the outcome earlier this month.
It is understood an official announcement will be made imminently on which projects have been successful in their bid for funding.
But the Tories say the “small” £20m sum comes after a “year of foot-dragging” and is “too little, too late”.
The cash will be used to help identify “key projects” in the move away from reliance on fossil fuel jobs.
It is not exclusively aimed at the energy industry and will be used to support projects from across a range of sectors.
We revealed earlier this month that the Campaign for North East Rail (CNER) could receive up to £250,000 after success with their bid for funding.
The group applied for £80,000 to £250,000 to fund a new feasibility study examining their plans to reopen Peterhead and Fraserburgh rail links.
A parliamentary answer from Just Transition Minister Richard Lochhead on September 20 revealed 102 proposals were received in the application window for the first year of the fund.
‘Too little, too late’
North-east Tory MSP Liam Kerr said: “Any support for the transition is welcome. But this small sum after almost a year of foot-dragging is too little, too late.
“It reflects the SNP’s scattered approach to shoring up our energy production.
“It is way off matching the scale and ambition of the UK Government’s £16 billion-plus North Sea Transition Deal.
“And there will always be a question mark over how much influence the SNP’s Green partners are having on the direction of travel.”
The SNP has called for the UK Government to match the funding which the Scottish Government has provided to help the region transition.
Stephen Flynn, SNP MP for Aberdeen South, said: “Liam Kerr seems to be upset about the allocation of money from a fund which his Tory colleagues in the UK Government have refused to match – it’s silly season stuff.
“Similarly, the North Sea Transition Deal to which he refers will be primarily private sector funded but does include UK Government support for carbon capture and storage – something which they’ve snubbed here in the north-east.
“The reality is that despite energy being a reserved matter for Westminster, the Scottish Government has stepped in to try and support our energy transition – I look forward to the Tories finally doing the same.”
The Scottish Government were approached for comment.