The UK government may lift a 2012 ban on the construction of onshore wind farms.
This will help the country to achieve climate goals and energy security, in particular due to rising fossil fuel prices as a result of the Russian-Ukrainian war. Financial Times reports about it.
The article emphasized that wind energy is one of the cheapest forms of renewable energy. However, the public and representatives of the Conservative Party oppose the construction of the wind farm.
They say that onshore wind turbines are problematic because they ruin views, drive home prices down, use a lot of concrete, and have high transportation costs.
The authors stressed that at present, the construction of an onshore wind farm can be blocked due to the protest of at least one local resident.
UK Business Secretary Grant Shepps said the government was prepared to compromise on the ban if a scheme to change the Town Planning Act was introduced. This means that if the council denies the wind farm, the developer will not be able to appeal to the national planning inspectorate, which, under current rules, can overrule local decisions.
Earlier, EcoPolitic wrote, that the British Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Gant said that country plans to reduce energy consumption for buildings and industry by 15% by 2030.
As EcoPolitic reported earlier, representatives of European wind and solar power generation expressed concerns about new EU permitting rules, which submitted November 10. They are planned to be extended only to new projects.
