FOI/202500462435 · FOI/EIR · partially withheld
Correspondence including the phrase “zonal pricing” between Scottish Government and employees of Scottish Renewables: EIR release
Information requested
1: “All correspondence including the phrase “zonal pricing” between employees of Scottish Renewables and the following three directorates of the Scottish Government: Energy and Climate Change, Economic Development, and Offshore Wind.”
2: “All documentation including the phrase “zonal pricing” relating to meetings (in person or virtual) between employees of Scottish Renewables and representatives of the Scottish Government from any of the same three directorates listed above.”
Response
As the information you have requested is ‘environmental information’ for the Purposes of the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs), we are required to deal with your request under those Regulations. We are applying the exemption at section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), so that we do not also have to deal with your request under FOISA.
This exemption is subject to the ‘public interest test’. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption, because there is no public interest in dealing with the same request under two different regimes. This is essentially a technical point and has no material effect on the outcome of your request.
Request for copies of correspondence and documentation between Scottish Government Officials and Scottish Renewables that includes the phrase “Zonal Pricing”
I have included copies of the information you have requested in Annex B.
On reviewing materials within the scope of your request, exceptions have been applied in line with the EIRs. The exceptions applied can be found in Annex A.
We have interpreted your request as to be seeking copies of correspondence and documentation that includes the phrase “Zonal Pricing”, specifically between Scottish Government Officials from the Directorates for Energy and Climate Chance (DECC), Economic Development, Offshore Wind and employees of Scottish Renewables.
About FOI
The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.
Detected exemption language
We are applying the exemption at section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), so that we do not also have to deal with your request under FOISA. This exemption is subject to the ‘public interest test’. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption, because there is no public interest in dealing with the same request under two different regimes.