An opinion poll by YouGov shows two-thirds of people in Britain think the
Government should change its current policy of excluding new onshore wind
farms from our energy mix.
Support for the move is high among Conservative voters, 61% of whom say the
exclusion of onshore wind should end – 65% of people in rural areas agree.
There is strong local support for building onshore wind farms over other
infrastructure options.
When asked which type of development they would favour most in their local
area, the most popular choice was an onshore wind farm (23% – and higher in
rural areas at 26%), beating a new railway line (22%), housing development
(17%), a dual carriageway (16%), a fracking site (4%) and a nuclear power
station (2%).
SNP MSP Stewart Stevenson warned that the Tories are “dangerously out of
step with public opinion” on energy policy, following the new YouGov poll
findings.
With no public consultation and no parliamentary scrutiny or debate, the UK
Tory government locked out almost all new onshore wind projects from the
UK’s contract-for-difference (CfD) support mechanism, while projects in
England are also subject to planning rules designed to hamper development.
The Scottish Conservative’s 2017 party manifesto stated: “We do not believe
that more large-scale onshore wind power is right for Scotland.”
Stevenson, who sits on Holyrood’s Environment Committee, said: “The Tories’
backwards decision to cut subsidies for the renewables sector is not only
dangerously out of step with public opinion, including a majority of Tory
voters, it has also hampered growth in a vital industry of the future that
experts say will be more cost-effective than nuclear power.
“Despite the Tories’ damaging opposition to onshore wind, the SNP continues
to support Scotland’s renewables potential, both in generation and
infrastructure, with renewable electricity capacity in Scotland making up
approximately 25% of the UK’s renewable generation in 2017.
“The SNP recognises that renewable energy plays a hugely significant role
in powering Scotland’s future, and it is clear that for Scotland to
maintain a strong renewables sector, environment and energy policy must be
devolved to the Scottish Parliament.”
1 Comment
Ian Miller · July 18, 2018 at 7:11 am
How does this square with the 85% of voters polled reported saying Wind Energy is a “Blot on the Landscape” ?