Onshore Wind Summit.
Energy Minster Fergus Ewing has criticised the recent UK Government
decision to end the Renewables Obligation early as ‘anti-business’
following a summit with the industry.
The summit, held in Glasgow and attended by over 200 representatives from
the across the sector, was an opportunity for the Scottish Government to
meet and listen to the industry about the impact of the UK Government
decision that will affect many businesses in Scotland.
Following the summit Mr Ewing said:
“This decision by the UK Government can only be described as anti-business.
The impacts could spread right across Scotland and the wider supply chain,
including ports and harbours, transmission and distribution, consultancy,
communities and the civil engineering sector.
“This morning’s event was attended by over 200 people from a wide range of
businesses and organisations who are affected, which shows the strength of
feeling throughout the industry.
“All of this is will come at great personal and economic cost to our
businesses and people. I’ve heard from many successful businesses who are
at the forefront of renewables technology who are now being forced to look
at making redundancies as a result of these changes. I also heard from
investors both in Scotland and abroad who are wanting to invest in this
industry but these are currently being stalled because of the uncertainty
this is causing.
“Delegates this morning spoke about the damage this will cause the rural
economy – many of the shops and business that are vital to these communities.
“Over the next few weeks DECC will be seeking the views of those affected
and I strongly encourage anyone with an interest to respond on this to
ensure our concerns are heard.
“We will continue to make representations to both the UK Government’s
Energy Department and to the Scotland Office, feeding back from what I
heard at the summit and the many meetings I have had with representatives
from the industry.”
Jenny Hogan, Director of Policy at Scottish Renewables, said: “The industry
is urging the UK Government not to abandon the onshore wind sector in
Scotland by pulling the rug from under it a year earlier than planned.
“Ending the Renewables Obligation one year early could have a devastating
impact on onshore wind developers and supply chain across the country with
around £3 billion of investment in Scotland being put at risk. We need UK
ministers to urgently reconsider their position.
“The impact of this decision will be felt more harshly in Scotland because
the biggest proportion of projects being developed in the UK are here.”
“The details around exactly how a company may receive a grace period
remains unclear. The lack of clarity is extremely damaging for investors
but we hope to continue our talks with officials on how this will work in
practice.”
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