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The prime minister is poised to unveil plans which could mean hundreds of millions of pounds of extra funding for Scotland, BBC Scotland understands.On Thursday, David Cameron will take the first steps towards freeing up cash from the so-called fossil fuel levy.
This is something the SNP government at Holyrood wanted the previous Labour government at Westminster to do.
The SNP has long argued that Scotland is entitled to the cash which could be spent safeguarding 20,000 jobs.
It is estimated that about £200m raised through the North Sea oil and gas industry has gone into an account held by the energy regulator Ofgem in London.
'Important rescource'
Previously, the UK Treasury had refused to budge on the issue, but it has now agreed to review the way the levy operates.
A Scottish government spokesman said: "The first minister and finance secretary had a constructive meeting on this and other issues with the prime minister and Scottish secretary last week.
"We are optimistic about progress, and believe it is important that any review releases this important resource as quickly as possible for Scottish government ministers to invest in renewables projects.
"The £185m Scottish Fossil Fuel Levy can only be spent in Scotland, and releasing it as an addition to Scotland's budget could help support thousands of low carbon jobs in Scotland's renewable energy industry."This article is from the BBC News website. ? British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.