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Onshore wind: Truss and Johnson join group of rebel Tories calling for ban to be lifted

Posted on November 29, 2022 by dishanth

An amendment to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill was first tabled earlier this week by Simon Clarke, the Conservative MP for Middlesborough South and East Cleveland, in a bid to end the de facto ban on new onshore wind. It has gained the backing of more than 20 Conservative MPs, with Clarke confirming the support of Johnson and Truss earlier today (25 November).

Clarke’s amendment would oblige the UK Government to alter planning rules for onshore wind farms within six months of the bill passing into law. These changes would permit onshore wind in communities where there is a high level of support. It has been extremely challenging to develop new onshore wind farms in the UK since 2014, due to a tightening of planning restrictions under then-Prime Minister David Cameron.

The Government did add onshore wind back into the Contracts for Difference (CfD) auction rounds’ eligibility criteria in 2020 under Johnson but planning restrictions were kept in place. Hence, it is very significant that Johnson is backing Clarke’s amendment.

Truss has repeatedly stated that she would support more onshore wind development despite her opposition to solar farms, particularly on agricultural land.

Clarke has stated that his amendment would result in a “pro-growth, pro-green policy at a time when we need both”. The UK Government is notably undertaking a review of its pathway to net-zero at present, in recognition of the fact that its current Net-Zero Strategy is unlawful and given Truss’s wish for a “pro-business, pro-growth, economically efficient” approach. Chris Skidmore MP is heading up this review.

Also of note is the fact that the UK published a new Energy Security Strategy this spring, headlined by a pledge for 95% of Britain’s electricity generation mix to be from low-carbon sources by 2030, rising to 100% by 2035. There was precious little support for onshore wind or solar, despite major capacity target increases for offshore wind, nuclear and hydrogen, plus a swathe of measures designed to boost North Sea oil and gas production.

Clarke has stated: “Whether or not to proceed with onshore wind [development] is a decision that should be made by local communities, rather than top-down from Westminster. It is the cheapest form of energy generation bar none. It will boost our energy security, help us on the path to net-zero and ease the cost-of-living squeeze just when we need it most.”

The Conservative Environment Network is supporting Clarke’s work here. Its Parliamentary Caucus now includes more than 100 Tory MPs.

The Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill was introduced in May and is currently in the report stage and third reading stage. The next meeting on the Bill will take place on Monday (28 November).

Another amendment that has caused drama this month was brought forward by former Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers. She, and around 50 other Tory MPs, want the Bill to include measures that would scrap mandatory housebuilding targets for local authorities in favour of an advisory-only measure.

Source edie

Paybacks from UK renewables could cut £27 from bills by end of winter

Posted on January 21, 2022 by dishanth

Britain’s wind and solar farms could help to reduce households’ energy bills by paying back almost £800m to consumers by the end of the winter after gas and electricity market prices rocketed above their set subsidy levels.

Households earned a £157m windfall from renewable energy generators for the first time in the final quarter of last year following record high market prices, according to official figures.

The body responsible for managing renewable energy payments, the Low Carbon Contracts Company (LCCC), has forecast paybacks from the industry could increase to a total of £770m by the end of winter, shaving an average of £27 from the annual home energy bill.

But customers might have been in line for multibillion pound paybacks worth about £140 for a typical annual energy bill if the UK’s renewable energy rollout had taken place sooner, according to the industry.

The UK government is due to announce the results of its biggest every renewable energy subsidy auction this spring. This will support up to 12 gigawatts of clean energy capacity by allowing onshore wind and solar projects to compete for a subsidy for the first time since 2015.

Renewable energy projects typically receive payments from household energy bills to top up the earnings from the energy market to an agreed level, or “strike price”, But in return they are expected to pay cash back to consumers when market prices outstrip the set subsidy level.

This system helps to protect households from surging market prices, which are expected cause bills to soar from an average of £1,277 this winter to £1,925 from 1 April, while providing renewable energy investors with certainty too, the LCCC said.

Based on the official figures from the last quarter, the UK’s pipeline of renewable energy projects, which are expected to be under construction until 2023, could have saved households £3.9bn if they were operating this winter, according to analysis by SSE.

The company claims that its Dogger Bank windfarm, under construction in the North Sea and featuring the world’s largest wind turbines, would have saved UK homes almost £1.9bn in total this winter, or the equivalent of more than £67 per household.

The analysis does not include the savings from avoiding the use of gas power plants, which have become “eye-wateringly expensive” after record-high gas market prices, or the cost of integrating renewable energy into the UK’s electricity system.

Dan McGrail, the chief executive of RenewableUK, an industry trade group, said: “The answer to an energy crisis caused by soaring gas prices is to encourage investment in low-cost renewables to decrease our reliance on eye-wateringly expensive fossil fuels.

“The escape route from volatile and uncontrollable gas prices couldn’t be clearer – investing in our green future secures low-cost reliable power as well as getting the UK to net zero as fast as possible.”

Alistair Phillips-Davies, the chief executive of SSE, added: “By building more of our own clean energy infrastructure here in Britain and, critically, investing strategically in the network infrastructure to connect it all, we can protect ourselves from the next energy crisis.”

Source The Guardian