David Cameron Defends UK Windfarm Plans to Tory MPs

The United Kingdom Prime Minister, David Cameron has written to more than 100 of his backbenchers who published an open letter to the PM asking for subsidies for “inefficient” on-shore wind power to be slashed and complaining about planning policies putting national energy policies ahead of local objections.

David Cameron said there were ‘hard-headed reasons’ for building more on-shore wind farms.

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In his reply, addressed to Chris Heaton-Harris, the Tory MP who organised the original letter, Cameron says he has sympathy with residents’ concerns, but insists there are “perfectly hard-headed reasons” for building more on-shore wind farms. In a robust reply that will please all supporters of onshore wind power in the UK, he said that this was regardless of the UK’s commitments to meet targets for renewable energy and cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

On-shore wind plays a role in a balanced UK electricity mix, alongside gas, nuclear, cleaner coal and other forms of renewable energy,” said the prime minister. “A portfolio of different supplies enhances energy security and prevents the UK from becoming over-reliant on gas imports.”

All good news. In acknowledgement of the growing pressure on the government to do more to stimulate the economy and in particular, meet ambitious promises to create thousands more “green jobs”, Cameron added: “I am also determined that we seize the economic opportunities in renewable energy supply chains as the global race for capital in low-carbon sectors intensifies.

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The PM also repeated the government’s policy of cutting subsidies to on-shore wind by 10% soon in recognition that the building cost had fallen.

The letter offers a significant degree of reassurance to the renewable energy industry, but has he done enough to appease the MPs who signed the original letter, including some senior party figures such as the former party chairman and leadership challenger David Davis and Nicholas Soames? They would like to see the ter would like to see a greater cut in subsidy to on-shore wind greater than the 10% proposed.  They also hope for the suggested amendments to the national planning policy framework to be taken on board.

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The prime minister’s letter also said that new government planning laws were intended to give residents more say in combating unpopular planning proposals in their areas, while the Department of Energy and Climate Change has put forward a scheme under which local communities could take a financial stake in new renewable energy and claim some of the profits. In this way, NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) residents and MPs could have a real link with the turbines and embrace them rather than see them as alien eyesores imposed upon them.  And I know of a few people who would love to swap their urban overcrowded and dirty environment for a place in the country, irrespective of the proximity to a wind farm!