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The UK government plans to give final approval of onshore wind farms to ministers rather than leaving the decisions to local councils, according to Energy Secretary Ed Miliband. The move is part of the government’s action plan to reach 95% clean energy in the UK by 2030. The government also plans to give more power to the energy regulator, allowing it to prioritise projects in the queue to join the National Grid.
Labour’s plans, expected to be announced on Friday, would be focused on bringing larger wind projects back into the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project regime. This would mean that the government would have the final approval on wind projects larger than 100MW, rather than the councils. Despite the fact that onshore wind is one of the cheapest forms of clean energy, there has been a 94% decline in projects in England since 2015 when the Conservative government put in place tighter planning regulations for wind farms in England.
The public will still be able to participate in consultations about wind farms, but the final decision will be taken by the secretary of state, taking into account national priorities like fighting climate change. The government has also pledged that projects will have “direct community benefits” and is proposing to establish a recovery fund to invest in nature projects as compensation for any environmental damage.
Miliband is expected to say that this “new era of clean electricity for our country offers a positive vision of Britain’s future with energy security, lower bills, good jobs and climate action.” The 136-page action plan, to be released on Friday, is also expected to tweak other measures to accelerate renewable energy, including prioritising projects to allow for early connections to the grid, and incentivising private investment. These reforms could attract £40bn a year from mainly private investment in “homegrown clean power projects,” according to Labour
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