The renewable energy sector has expressed support for Labour’s announcement to lift the de facto ban on onshore wind in England.
The pledge, made by Ed Miliband, Shadow Secretary of State for Climate Change and Net Zero, at RenewableUK’s Global Offshore Wind conference in Manchester, aims to strengthen energy security and increase the availability of clean, low cost electricity.
James Robottom, RenewableUK’s Head of Policy, welcomed the policy shift, noting that removing the nine-year ban on onshore wind could significantly enhance the nation’s energy security and provide consumers with one of the cheapest sources of new power.
Mr Robottom said: “We support all efforts to accelerate the build out of new projects in areas where local communities support onshore wind.
“We are urging all politicians to set ambitious UK-wide targets for onshore wind by 2030. Our research shows that delivering 30GW of onshore wind by the end of the decade, double what we have today, would boost the economy by £45 billion and create 27,000 jobs.”
