Labour leader Keir Starmer has voiced his support for new onshore wind farms and to promote renewables energy as a means to cut energy bills.
The head of the opposition met with RenewableUK’s chief executive Dan McGrail and deputy chief executive Melanie Onn at the Bishopsthorpe wind farm in south Grimsby, where they agreed on the urgent need for reforming the planning system in England to enable onshore wind farms to go ahead, alongside wider measures to boost renewables and cut bills.
Under the current system there is a de facto ban on new onshore wind in England, where planning rules have led to a 95% drop in the amount of onshore wind capacity being built.
Starmer also held a roundtable meeting at Orsted’s offshore wind O&M base in Grimsby with onshore and offshore wind industry leaders from BayWa, Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult, Orsted, RWE and RenewableUK. They agreed on the need for a new industrial strategy to enable the sector to scale up more rapidly.
The Labour leader heard from industry representatives that there is an urgent need to build new infrastructure at ports around the UK, upgrade the grid faster and reform the Contracts for Difference support scheme to maximise the amount of new capacity we can secure annually and build up the UK’s supply chain.
Starmer said: “The solution to the energy crisis is clear – we need to go all out for cheap, clean, homegrown power as fast as we can. From green hydrogen to offshore wind, gigafactories to new nuclear and tidal power, Labour will help these new industries to thrive.
“And we will reverse this Government’s policies that are blocking the growth of onshore wind and solar, which are vital sources of cheap power for billpayers.”
RenewableUK’s CEO Dan McGrail said: “It’s great to be able to show Sir Keir at first-hand what the UK’s new green economy looks like in action. We’re increasing the UK’s energy security, cutting bills and leading the world with innovative technologies like floating wind and green hydrogen.
“We can also unlock the benefits of onshore wind in England by reforming the planning system so that this technology is treated like any other. We need a level playing field so that each project is considered on its own merits in areas where it has local community support.
Labour’s commitment to ensuring these reforms go ahead is a key step forward – and it’s in line with widespread public support that exists for accelerating the roll-out of renewables”.