THE CORONAVIRUS pandemic is putting Scotland's green recovery in jeopardy, MSPs have heard.
Ministers hope sustainable power schemes will help build the economy back from the hit of cornavirus.
But a Holyrood committee has today learned bids for new renewables schemes are significantly delayed as a lack of staff in Edinburgh, and at councils, leaves paperwork for wind farms and more "sitting on desks for weeks and weeks".
Morag Watson, of trade body Scottish Renewables, said the number of projects given the green light has decreased since the "climate emergency" was declared in 2019.
She said part of that is due to staff being redeployed due to Covid-19.
Speaking to the Scottish Parliament's Energy Committee, she said: "Because staff in local authorities have been pulled on to other things, because people in the Scottish Government have been pulled on to other things, paperwork will literally sit on someone's desk for weeks and weeks and weeks on end.
"We've spoken about how renewable energy projects can contribute to a green economic recovery.
"If they're stuck sitting on somebody's desk, that can't happen."
Watson said that while Scottish Renewables "fully understands" the need to put certain work on hold due to coronavirus, it remains concerned about delays to the fourth National Planning Framework - a strategy aimed at reducing carbon emissions.
The committee, which heard from a number of witnesses involved in renewable energy, was told it took an average of 11 years to get an offshore wind farm from the beginning of the planning phase into production.
Watson said that timeframe would make meeting the Scottish Government's climate change targets "challenging".
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