THE UK Government must end its “completely bonkers” ban on public funding for onshore wind developments, a Big Six energy boss has demanded.
Keith Anderson, chief executive of Scottish Power, attacked the Conservative government’s “bizarre” funding model which supports fossil fuels but will not fund onshore wind, at a time when the price of wind power is plummeting and carbon emissions are rising.
The UK Government ended onshore wind subsidies in 2014 after former prime minister David Cameron insisted the public were “frankly fed up with so many wind farms being built”.
However, the UK Government’s own energy public attitudes tracker reported last month that more than three quarters of the British public now support onshore wind developments.
In a speech at the All Energy Conference in Glasgow, Mr Anderson said: “Politicians have been known to say that ‘they have had enough of listening to experts’ – but they have never, ever said that they have had enough of listening to the public.
“Onshore wind should be at the heart of our industrial strategy and investment programme.
“I can’t quite get my head round the fact that I am here again having to make the case to build more onshore wind in 2018.”
With rising tensions between the UK and Russia — which supplies 40 percent of Europe’s gas — nearly three quarters of the public said they are concerned about energy security.
Mr Anderson said Scotland has “endless supplies of wind and no reliance on Russia”.
Two thirds of those surveyed said they would be happy to have a large-scale renewable energy development in their local area, and a similar proportion said the UK is not investing in renewable energy fast enough.
Mr Anderson added: “Back in 2014 we were told that people were ‘fed up’ of onshore wind – well it wasn’t true then and it’s certainly not true In April 2018 - more than three quarters of the public support onshore wind.
“The fact you can still get support for a diesel generator or keeping your old and dirty coal plant open.
“But bizarrely for a low cost, efficient, job creating, quick to build, green energy onshore wind turbine that the public loves – you get nothing. It is completely bonkers.”
There were signs that Tory attitudes to onshore wind were softening at the last party conference, with UK energy ministers Richard Harrington and Claire Perry indicating a possible return to onshore wind subsidies.
Ms Perry also addressed the All Energy Conference in Glasgow yesterday, and insisted her party are “absolutely not against onshore wind”.
However, any return to offshore wind subsidies is likely to meet with resistance from the Scottish Conservatives, who returned their largest number of MPs in recent years on a pledge to resist onshore wind.
The Scottish Conservatives' 2017 manifesto stated: "While we do not believe that more large-scale onshore wind power is right for England, we will maintain our position as a global leader in offshore wind and support the development of wind projects in the remote islands of Scotland, where they will directly benefit local communities."
Meanwhile, citing a “talent crisis” in the UK energy industry at the conference, Lindsay McQuade, chief executive of ScottishPower Renewables, said: “Our renewables business has a better starting position than others in the engineering sector with women making up 28% of our people.
“But renewable energy has to inspire women with a varied range of careers beyond the core of engineering. Don’t get me wrong, we need electrical, mechanical and civil engineers but our team also reeds ecologists, lawyers, economists, community champions, marine biologists and planners.”
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