The UK offshore industry is “watching the UK government closely” to make sure supports remain.
Dong Energy was among developers that appeared this morning before the Energy and Climate Change Committee and said it has been “unsettling” since the Conservative administration took over in May.
Dong head of regulatory and stakeholder relations Danielle Lane said the UK arm of the business has fielded many anxious calls from their headquarters in Denmark since supports were removed for onshore wind.
She said: “There has been nervousness, the way it was handled caused nervousness in other areas, not just onshore.
“We had lots of questions from our HQ in Denmark about what it would mean for offshore. That should be a lesson learnt: the government should have tried to give a bit of warning and been specific on what it meant and what supports there were looking to uphold.
“We didn’t expect the announcements and I don’t think others did. It was without forewarning.
“We have been watching carefully over the last six months. We are certainly looking at what the government do with fresh eyes now.”
EDF director of strategy and corporate affairs Paul Spence added that a “clear, consistent and long-term cross-party narrative” was needed for renewables to thrive in the future, including a “clear idea” on how the LCF budget will work.
Image: Dong’s Westermost Rough offshore wind farm (Dong)