The UK’s climate targets are at risk if the government does not reverse its decision to end support for windfarms, the head of one of the Big Six energy companies has warned. Keith Anderson of ScottishPower said onshore wind power should be opened up to the government’s new subsidy regime because the technology could be deployed quickly, help energy bills and cut carbon emissions. The government will end existing subsidies for new onshore windfarms from April next year, leading the utility rushing to complete eight projects that already had planning permission, all in Scotland. The Spanish-owned company is currently putting up turbines at a rate of almost one a day. Analysts at Bloomberg have said that wind power is already the cheapest form of new power in the UK, and Anderson said that more onshore wind would be essential to keep energy bills down. But he said it was “extremely doubtful” the company would build any new onshore wind without support. While he said he understood the Conservatives had a manifesto pledge to end subsidies for onshore wind due to some local opposition in England, there was no reason the contracts for difference could not be opened to future windfarms built in Scotland, which has a target of sourcing 100% of its electricity from renewables by 2020.
Guardian 3rd Nov 2016 read more »