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Conservatives backtrack on wind energy policy
2023-01-03
Wind energy has grown to become a major source of electricity in the UK, supplying more than a quarter of all power generated in 2021. However, the Conservative government has been against any new wind turbines being built on land for several years due to local opposition. Most of Britain's wind farms are now found at sea instead. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised to keep this policy during his leadership campaign earlier this year, yet with pressure from fellow Conservatives mounting, the government declared it may allow land-based wind farms in areas where communities support them after a technical consultation.
Green Party MP Caroline Lucas welcomed the decision but warned that allowing it could be used as justification for approving the proposed coal mine in Cumbria later this week - something that would be entirely unacceptable.
The UK has been increasingly reliant on imports for its energy, meaning that price fluctuations across the market have had a great impact on domestic customers. To offset this, Britain introduced a price cap - due to expire in April 2021 - which limited how much bills could increase.
Environmentalists and locals alike are protesting the proposed coal mine, arguing that it would undermine global efforts to move away from coal-generated power and make it difficult for the country to meet its goals of achieving 100% clean energy by 2035 and net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Proponents contend that creating jobs in an area deprived of industry is more important than any ecological concerns.
The situation speaks to the wider European trend of countries reevaluating their fossil fuel policies in response to political events on the continent, such as France's decision to reinstate a closed coal plant despite President Macron's promise to close all coal-burning plants by the end of 2021. With this in mind, speculation is mounting as to what Cabinet Minister Michael Gove's final decision will be.
With climate change increasingly becoming an issue around the world and Britain leading the charge for clean energy, it looks like we are about to find out how far its commitment goes.
Wind energy has grown to become a major source of electricity in the UK, supplying more than a quarter of all power generated in 2021. However, the Conservative government has been against any new wind turbines being built on land for several years due to local opposition. Most of Britain's wind farms are now found at sea instead. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised to keep this policy during his leadership campaign earlier this year, yet with pressure from fellow Conservatives mounting, the government declared it may allow land-based wind farms in areas where communities support them after a technical consultation.
Green Party MP Caroline Lucas welcomed the decision but warned that allowing it could be used as justification for approving the proposed coal mine in Cumbria later this week - something that would be entirely unacceptable.
The UK has been increasingly reliant on imports for its energy, meaning that price fluctuations across the market have had a great impact on domestic customers. To offset this, Britain introduced a price cap - due to expire in April 2021 - which limited how much bills could increase.
Environmentalists and locals alike are protesting the proposed coal mine, arguing that it would undermine global efforts to move away from coal-generated power and make it difficult for the country to meet its goals of achieving 100% clean energy by 2035 and net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Proponents contend that creating jobs in an area deprived of industry is more important than any ecological concerns.
The situation speaks to the wider European trend of countries reevaluating their fossil fuel policies in response to political events on the continent, such as France's decision to reinstate a closed coal plant despite President Macron's promise to close all coal-burning plants by the end of 2021. With this in mind, speculation is mounting as to what Cabinet Minister Michael Gove's final decision will be.
With climate change increasingly becoming an issue around the world and Britain leading the charge for clean energy, it looks like we are about to find out how far its commitment goes.