The UK renewables industry has welcomed the UK government’s promise of Contracts for Difference supports for offshore wind while raising concerns about other technologies.
RenewableUK chief executive Hugh McNeal said the £290m budget pot for the second allocation round will enable our world-leading industry to deliver significant investment to the UK. The competitive auction process is continuing to drive down the cost of offshore wind energy at an unprecedented speed.”
He raised concerns however over the lack of an immediate allocation for remote islands wind.
“New projects on remote Scottish islands would provide much-needed power and economic benefits to their local communities. Any delay means those communities won’t receive these benefits. We need to ensure that this opportunity is offered to them”.
On marine, McNeal express disappointment that no minimum level of deployment has been ring-fenced under the CfD.
“These ground-breaking technologies can replicate the cost reduction we’re seeing in offshore wind and deliver industrial benefits to Britain. We can’t risk falling behind and handing our global lead to other countries”.
Scottish Renewables said the budget “will leave developers and communities on the remote islands of Scotland bitterly disappointed.
It added: “”After years of work on this issue, and many ministerial pledges to resolve it, we still seem no further forward to unlocking investment on Scotland’s islands – home to some of the best wind, wave and tidal resources in Europe.”
Image: projects on the Scottish islands have no route to market under current CfD plans (Shetland Aerogenerators)
