THE UK Government’s “antagonistic” approach to renewable energy is harming investment in the sector and potentially “jeopardising UK energy security”, the ability to meet the nation’s electricity needs, industry experts have warned in a newly-published report.
Scottish ministers at Holyrood have heavily promoted renewables such as wind power and have accused the UK Government of making cuts to clean energy subsidies as part of a “wrong-headed ideological attack” on the alternative energy sector.
The consultancy Ernst & Young (EY) has now demoted the UK to a new lowest position of 13th in its Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index and criticised the Tory administration’s approach.
The EY report stated: “The UK Government’s non-committal, if not antagonistic, approach to energy policy continues to go against the grain of almost universal global support for renewables. Not only [is this] stalling project development and investment inflows, this is arguably jeopardising UK energy security.”
Ben Warren, energy corporate finance leader for EY, warned that if existing policies, or attitudes, prevail, then “the only way for the UK is down” in terms of renewable energy.
The UK Government’s Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) was urged to change course on renewable energy to safeguard the future energy supply of the country.
Scotland’s Energy Minister Fergus Ewing said the findings from EY were a vindication of the stance of the SNP Government, which exceeded its target for 50 per cent of Scottish electricity consumption to come from renewables by 2015. Ewing called on ministers at Westminster to shift their approach towards that of the government in Scotland, where last month wind turbines generated enough power to supply, on average, the electrical needs of 79 per cent of households north of the Border.
He said: “This is a stark warning to the Tory Government – they must change course on renewable energy policy or they run the very real risk of jeopardising UK energy security.
“The UK Government’s wrong-headed ideological attack on renewable energy threatens to undermine the good work being done in Scotland to grow renewable generation – they must change course and give the renewables industry the support it requires to flourish.”
However, the UK Government insisted that it had supported the renewables sector as part of a policy of promoting a mixture of sources to generate the nation’s energy provision. A DECC spokesman said: “We are dedicated to reducing our emissions and moving to low-carbon energy, but this has to be done in the most cost-effective way for households and businesses. The UK remains an attractive location for investment in renewable energy.
“In the last Budget we helped give investors the longer-term certainty they need by announcing £730 million of funding for renewables contract auctions this parliament to drive further investment, building on the record levels we saw last year.”
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