British Government Grants £1bn to Wind Farm Developers

Greenpeace has published figures which indicate that councils are blocking more than three times as many wind farms as they are allowing.  The data also shows that from 2005-2008 when the councils were controlled by the Labour party far more projects were approved than turned down.  However, Greenpeace found that the Conservative-controlled councils are denying more than half of the proposals brought forward.

In an effort to indicate their willingness to help wind farms stay afloat during the recession, the government announced today that it would be lending £1bn to wind farm developers in an attempt to aid the development of more wind farms.

The initiative comes shortly after Vestas, a wind farm located on the Isles of Wight, announced that it would be closing due to insufficient funding and lack of a booming market.  However, Ed Miliband, the energy and climate change secretary, claims that the loan is not an attempt to save Vestas which is currently closed because of an ongoing sit-in staged by several of its employees.  Rather, it is part of an ongoing goal to transition to sustainable means of energy, and catalyze the construction of wind farms on a larger scale.

“Earlier this month we laid out a transition plan to a low-carbon economy that included a massive expansion of green wind energy,” Miliband says. “The resources we are announcing back up our plans with clear actions to ensure we deliver. The money for the development of offshore wind manufacturing will help us generate green jobs on top of our success as the leading country in the world for the generation of offshore wind.

Special thanks to www.guardian.co.uk for the above quote, for more information please view the article on their website.