RenewableUK has welcomed “timely” comments from Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy secretary Grant Shapps signalling support for locally backed onshore wind farms in England.
In a series of interviews today (28 November), Shapps played down suggestions of a rift in Westminster over proposed planning reforms that would make new projects easier to approve.
“I’ve always said, and Rishi Sunak has always said, that where onshore wind happens it needs to happen with local consent,” Shapps told Sky News. “What is being proposed is something that would guarantee that local consent.
“We already have a lot of onshore wind in this country and there will be more over time, particularly where communities are in favour of it.”
RUK’s executive director of policy Ana Musat said Shapps’ comments indicate a timely show of support because onshore wind is “one of our cheapest sources of new power and one of the fastest to install, at a time we need to increase our domestic energy security to help billpayers”.
It comes amid growing momentum behind a backbench legislative bid to ease regulations that have blocked new developments since 2015.
The amendment tabled by MP Simon Clarke to the government’s levelling-up and regeneration bill has attracted the support of former prime ministers Liz Truss and Boris Johnson, as well as COP26 president Alok Sharma.
It aims to revise national planning policy to enable wind farms to be more easily approved where there is local support for their development.
Sunak’s government is yet to follow up on a Truss policy to bring planning regulations for onshore wind back in line with other infrastructure projects, and the prime minister indicated when campaigning during the summer he would not support lifting restrictions on new wind farms.
Musat added: “We’re calling for planning legislation to be amended as a matter of urgency to lift the de facto ban on onshore wind in England.
“The Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill offers an ideal opportunity to boost the UK economy by supplying households and businesses with low-cost and low-carbon electricity, enabling savings on bills to be reinvested into the economy.
“As this technology is supported by more than 70% of the public and over 80% of Conservative voters, we’re confident that most people will back ministers in levelling the playing field and allowing onshore wind to compete alongside other sources of energy to drive bills down.”