Only a quarter of Scots would support the rollout of zonal power pricing in the UK’s energy system, a new poll from True North reveals.

The UK government will soon decide on the introduction of zonal power pricing, sparking concerns across the renewables industry, especially when it comes to investment in offshore wind.

The Scotland-wide poll surveyed 1,020 people in May, showing that 41% of Scots oppose the introduction of zonal power pricing, with just 25% in favour, and a third undecided.

Zonal power pricing would transform the current energy pricing system in the UK; instead of a single system of payment, the zones will be introduced with their own supply and demand forces influencing prices depending on the cost of producing and transferring energy in each zone.

Proponents of this change say the change could be beneficial for Scottish consumers and introduce some of the cheapest energy tariffs to the nation.

Critics however, say that the system would result in the cancellation or delay of billions in investment, stalling any reduction in bills and creating a barrier to green jobs.

Still, zonal pricing could reduce constraint payments, which are made to generators to switch off their power when they exceed grid capacity, and lowering bills for certain regions, particularly in Scotland.

The system has yet to be decided, and analysts at Cornwall Insight saying that a zonal system will likely not be introduced until the 2030s, which could delay the government from reaching its clean power ambitions past 2030.

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Regions that would likely be most directly impacted appear to be unconvinced by the zonal pricing plan, with only 22% of those in the Highlands and Islands supporting the system, and 23% of those in the north east favouring the system.

Around six in ten polled said they did not consider the Scottish government’s clean power by 2030 goal achievable, while over half (54%) said they support the ambition. The government said this goal would cost £40bn annually in investment over the next six years.

It still remains to be seen how the zonal power pricing system will look, however, so it remains to be seen if this system would be detrimental to planned infrastructure investment.

While Scottish Power chief executive Keith Anderson warned against zonal pricing, Octopus Energy called the proposed change a “solution” to current energy woes.