DECC’s plans to end the Renewables Obligation for onshore wind a year early were last night defeated in the House of Lords.
Peers passed shadow energy minister Baroness Worthington’s amendment to remove clause 66 from the Energy Bill, which set out the closure of the RO to onshore wind from 31 March 2016, by 242 votes to 190.
The department’s RO grace period criteria came under heavy, cross-party criticism from peers during the debate.
Under the ‘approved development condition’, DECC would have allowed projects that successfully appealed against refusal or non-determination by a planning committee to be eligible for the RO grace period as long as the appeal was filed by 18 June.
The department, however, would disallow projects consented by local authorities by 18 June yet did not receive a Section 106 or Section 75 decision notice before the deadline. The Bishop of Chester said the exclusion of such projects was “unfair”.
The Labour amendment forced DECC energy minister Lord Bourne to pull his own Clause 66 amendments setting out further detail about the grace period criteria. DECC has yet to table new Energy Bill amendments to close the RO early to onshore wind.
Tory peers said the Labour victory was contrary to the Salisbury Convention whereby members of the House of Lords do not oppose government legislation promised in its election manifesto. Labour peers argued the Conservatives’ election manifesto pledge to end “new public subsidy for onshore wind” did not apply to the RO.
Airvolution Energy chief executive Richard Mardon said the situation is a “bit crazy”. “There’s a bit of illogicality (with the grace period criteria), which I hope was an oversight and might be fixed,” he said.
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