A "yes" vote in Thursday's referendum will translate to vast oil wealth for an independent Scotland, the Scottish energy minister said as voting gets under way.

Voting began Thursday in a one-sentence referendum for independence from the United Kingdom. Scottish Energy Minister Fergus Ewing trumpeted findings from an employment firm that said an independent Scotland could draw on an oil fund that could reach $239 billion within 25 years of a "yes" vote.

"This is interesting new analysis which highlights the huge resource which the people of Scotland can secure for future generations by voting yes," he said in a statement Thursday.

Scotland said it could draw revenue from offshore oil and gas reserves while powering its economy on renewable energy resources.

A Wednesday report from energy consultant group Wood Mackenzie said oil and gas companies working in the region need fiscal assurances now matter how the vote unfolds. Most of the offshore reserves would go to Scotland in the event of a "yes" vote, though production is expected to decline dramatically because of field maturation.

Ewing said Scotland could replicate Norway's experience with North Sea oil by managing its reserve assets better. Per capita gross domestic product in Norway is 80 percent higher than for the United Kingdom.

"Poor stewardship of resources, frequent changes to the tax regime, a lack of focus on value creation and mismanagement of revenues are all mistakes that we cannot let happen again, and which an independent Scotland will address," Ewing said.