OFGEM Needs Power To Encourage Wind Farms - Huhne

6.41.12pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 10th Oct 2006

Wind turbine farm

Liberal Democrat Shadow Environment Secretary, Chris Huhne MP, will call for the Government to encourage more investment in wind energy by designating planning zones appropriate for wind turbines.

Speaking to the British Wind Energy Association annual conference in Glasgow today, Mr Huhne will say:

"Wind energy is on course to meet half of the Government's target for renewables by 2010, but more could be done if investors were careful to bring local communities on board, and also knew where turbines would be looked on favourably.

"There should also be a change in Ofgem's remit to ensure that it brings generation into the national grid once the cost of carbon has been taken into account. At present, it merely brings the lowest cost generators on stream regardless of the carbon emissions.

"There should also be banding of the Renewables Obligation to encourage some of the higher cost renewable sources of energy such as tidal and wave power, which are currently much less economical than wind."

ENDS

Notes to Editors

A copy of the full speech is available on request.

Developing planning "wind zones", agreed by the regions and nations, where it is agreed that planning applications for wind turbines will be allowed, will provide both more certainty for investors and more certainty for local communities against what they may see as either a threat or opportunity from wind farm developments.