28/11/2022 | Onshore wind

Industry welcomes Business Secretary’s commitment to enable onshore wind projects with local support

28 November 2022 - RenewableUK press release


RenewableUK welcomes the comments by the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Grant Shapps, stating that onshore wind farms should go ahead in areas where they enjoy the support of local communities.


RenewableUK’s Executive Director of Policy Ana Musat said:


“The Secretary of State’s support for new onshore wind projects in areas where local people want them is timely, as this technology is one of our cheapest sources of new power and one of the fastest to install, at a time we need to increase our domestic energy security to help billpayers. 


“We’re calling for planning legislation to be amended as a matter of urgency to lift the de facto ban on onshore wind in England. The Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill offers an ideal opportunity to boost the UK economy by supplying households and businesses with low-cost and low-carbon electricity, enabling savings on bills to be reinvested into the economy.


“As this technology is supported by more than 70% of the public and over 80% of Conservative voters, we’re confident that most people will back Ministers in levelling the playing field and allowing onshore wind to compete alongside other sources of energy to drive bills down”.


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Notes


RenewableUK’s members are building our future energy system, powered by clean electricity. We bring them together to deliver that future faster; a future which is better for industry, billpayers, and the environment. We support over 400 member companies to ensure increasing amounts of renewable electricity are deployed across the UK and to access export markets all over the world. Our members are business leaders, technology innovators, and expert thinkers from right across industry.


More information on the high level of public support for onshore wind is available here.


RenewableUK’s events programme is available here.


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