The UK government is to address restrictions on the development of onshore wind in England in its upcoming Energy Bill.
Parliamentary under-secretary for Energy Department BEIS Lord Callanan told the House of Lords yesterday that the legislation would deal with planning issues facing the sector, introduced under David Cameron’s premiership in 2015.
Callanan was responding to a request from Baroness Hayman to support her onshore wind bill in the House of Lords.
A Government spokesperson told reNEWS: “In light of Russia’s unjustified invasion of Ukraine and rising global gas prices, it’s right we move away from dependence on Russian gas and increase our self-reliance in our energy security.
“We are considering all our options. We will set out an energy supply strategy which will supercharge our renewable energy and nuclear capacity as well as supporting our North Sea oil and gas industry.”
On 18 March the House of Lords will hear a third reading of Baroness Hayman’s Private Member’s Bill that aims to reverse measures introduced by Cameron’s administration that restrict the ability to secure planning permission for onshore wind projects in England.
Lord Callanan said: “With regard to her Private Member’s Bill, we have an Energy Bill coming up which will deal with many of these matters.”
Baroness Hayman made the request following a report in The Times on Wednesday that suggested ministers were considering changes to the planning system in a bid to reduce the UK’s reliance on Russian energy supplies.
Baroness Hayman told reNEWS she would be writing to ministers today.
It is not yet known when the government will advance the new energy bill, but it is expected within the next week from BEIS Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng’s (pictured) department.
RenewableUK chief executive Dan McGrail said as things stand, onshore wind farm proposals could be rejected if a single person opposes an application.
“That needs to change if we’re serious about securing Britain’s energy independence and reaching net zero as fast as possible,” he said.
He said there are locations in England with excellent wind resources, including sites where wind farms already exist, but where turbines could be decommissioned and replaced by more efficient, modern machines.
McGrail said the industry body “stood ready” to work with the government to reduce dependence on energy imports from “unstable regimes abroad” and suggested devolved administrations, such as Holyrood, had a “particularly key role to play” to deliver planning reforms.