Following today’s launch of the UK Conservative Party’s election manifesto , RenewableUK released a response to its content.
RenewableUK’s Deputy Chief Executive Maf Smith said:
“The Conservatives’ manifesto spectacularly fails to recognise the high level of support among ordinary voters for onshore wind, which stays consistently at two-thirds of the British public. The Tories have also failed to acknowledge the significant contribution that onshore and offshore wind make to the UK’s electricity mix – currently around 10% of the UK’s entire electricity needs, and growing rapidly year on year. They’re seriously misinformed in their suggestion that wind power can’t provide firm capacity – the experts at National Grid say there’s no problem in taking maximum advantage of wind whenever it’s available, which can now be predicted with pinpoint accuracy.
“Onshore wind is one of the cheapest of all sources of energy, so by turning their backs on it, the Tories are proposing to deprive voters of one of the most effective means of keeping all our electricity bills down. So when the Tories claim in their manifesto that they intend to cut carbon emissions as cost-effectively as possible they’re being breathtakingly illogical and therefore idiotic.
“They’re also putting at risk 19,000 jobs in the onshore wind industry – which could rise to over 30,000 in the next decade under a supportive government. The onshore wind sector delivered £1.6 billion in investment in the UK last year – that growth would be lost if the Tories had their way and closed down this industry.
“Overall, this is an anti-green growth, anti-clean energy manifesto that will only find favour with the dwindling bunch of fossil fuel advocates who still donate to the Conservative party and thus dictate their energy policy.”
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