The UK's Conservative party, which is in government in coalition with the Liberal Democrat party, has stated that if it wins the next general election it will end publically funded subsidies for onshore wind farms.
The UK’s Conservative party, which is in government in coalition with the Liberal Democrat party, has stated that if it wins the next general election it will put an end to public subsidy for onshore wind farms. It will also change the planning system so that local councils have the deciding say on any future wind farm applications.
Energy minister Michael Fallon said: "Making sure that we have a good mixture of reliable energy is an important part of our long-term economic plan to secure a better future for Britain. We remain committed to cutting our carbon emissions. And renewable energy, including onshore wind, has a key role in our future energy supply. But we now have enough bill payer-funded onshore wind in the pipeline to meet our renewable energy commitments and there’s no requirement for any more."
Green energy interests have interpreted this to mean that the a new Conservative government would in effect issue a moratorium on onshore energy. Ecotricity founder Dale Vince believes the prime minister is putting the interests of his political party ahead of the interests of his country and quotes a Conservative party spokesperson as saying "The next Conservative government will effectively curtail further large-scale onshore wind developments (within) the first six months (of being elected)."
"Before the last election" said Mr Vince "David Cameron promised to lead the greenest government ever – that promise lies in tatters now."
Greenpeace UK energy campaigner Louise Hutchins commented: "This disastrous policy risks undermining our energy security, putting up bills, and hampering efforts to slash carbon emissions. Cutting incentives for wind power when we’re trying to reduce our reliance on energy imports is tantamount to self-sabotage – our suppliers of costly, polluting fossil fuels, including [Russian president] Putin, will be rubbing their hands. UN scientists have just warned about the risks of climate change and the need for a massive clean energy shift, yet the Tory right wing seems to think this is happening on a different planet."
RenewableUK’s chief executive Maria McCaffery said: Onshore wind is the lowest cost form of renewable energy we have, and cheaper than new nuclear. The industry has already seen a reduction in financial support, and a trajectory for further reduction is clearly laid out. However cutting all support overnight amounts to a moratorium … that’s bad news for jobs and energy bill payers. Nearly 19 000 people currently owe their jobs to the UK’s onshore wind industry, with potential for thousands more over the next decade."