Green energy windfall plea

UK Political Correspondent

Thursday 20 September 2012

PEOPLE living near wind farms should have cheaper electricity to ensure they reap the benefits of being so close to turbines, Energy Secretary Ed Davey will claim today.

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Kate Devlin UK Political Correspondent

Mr Davey will say the sites must benefit communities, adding that too often households see "the wind farm but not the windfall". He will say the potential benefits that could be offered to nearby householders include cuts to their energy bills or grants for community projects such as play parks.

Some developers are already exploring ways to ensure local people gain from living near a wind farm. There is opposition from communities to plans to build massive structures in their area. Ministers point to the An Suidhe Wind Farm in Argyll, where a fund provides £28,500 a year for local projects, such as the renovation of a nearby village hall.A pilot scheme in Wales offers those who live close to a wind farm a discount of £100 a year on their energy bills. Mr Davey's comments come as the Tory-LibDem Coalition calls for evidence of what local people want from wind farms. "Too often, host communities have seen the wind farms but not the windfall," he will say. "We are sensitive to the controversy around onshore wind and we want to ensure that people benefit from having wind farms sited near to them."He will add he wants to "look at ways to reward host communities and ensure that wider investment, employment and social benefits are felt locally". The Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) is also considering further cuts to subsidies for wind energy. The Coalition is keen to attract international investors into the sector. It has already cut support for onshore wind farms by 10%, but it is considering going even further. There has been growing concern that subsidies for wind farms are adding to already soaring household energy bills.But the DECC says official figures show onshore wind farms added only around £6 a year to the average electricity bill in 2011. A survey by the department also suggested 66% of those asked supported onshore wind farms, with just 12% opposed to them. A spokesman said that, although planning was devolved to Holyrood, the Coalition wanted to listen to ideas from all parts of the UK on how to let communities benefit from nearby wind farms. He said it would be up to Scottish ministers to decide whether to use the information. A Scottish Government spokesman said: "Scotland is already leading the rest of the UK in the way that we ensure communities benefit from renewables, and so we welcome the DECC's consultation on these issues. However, while we are happy to take part in the steering group for this piece of work, we are not bound by its outcomes."He added: "On Friday, the First Minister launched the Community Benefit Register, which allows local communities to enter negotiations with developers – from those putting up single turbines on farms and estates to those building the largest schemes – on an even footing."

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Green energy windfall plea

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