RenewableUK Urges New UK Gov to Back Offshore Wind Industry

RenewableUK says the new UK Government should send an early signal that it is serious about supporting low-carbon energy to attract investment and create jobs.

RenewableUK’s Chief Executive, Maria McCaffery, commented: “We hope that one of the new Government’s priorities will be to act quickly to secure our home-grown energy supplies based on clean sources including wind, wave and tidal power.

“We urge the new administration to confirm the importance of onshore wind as an essential part of our electricity mix, as it is one of the most cost effective ways to generate electricity, and is consistently supported by two-thirds of the public. As long as we can continue on our current course, onshore wind will be the cheapest of all power sources by 2020, so it makes sense to support it.

“For the renewable energy sector as a whole, the most important signal that the Government could send to show that it’s serious about cleaning up the way we generate electricity would be to set a clear 2030 decarbonisation target to provide long term certainty. This would attract the investment needed for growth.

“More than 34,000 people now owe their livelihoods to the British wind industry, onshore and offshore. Britain’s global lead in offshore wind is bringing major manufacturers to the UK. If the new Government values that green growth and is serious about stimulating the economy, it needs to get behind this industry as swiftly as possible.”