No more onshore wind farms

Interviewed by the Sunday Times (15th April) the Westminster Government’s Climate Change Minister of State Greg Barker states “Britain does not need more onshore wind farms”.

So why this ‘road to Damascus’ conversion by the UK government? Ministers of State don’t make such pronouncements without very good reason. Perhaps we can find the answer in the report in the Daily Telegraph where Barker states “It’s about being balanced and sensible,” he said. “We inherited a policy from the last government which was unbalanced in favour of onshore wind. “There have been some installations in insensitive or unsuitable locations – too close to houses, or in an area of outstanding natural beauty.”

 Well it’s a pity that he didn’t tell Fergus Ewing that. Shame that his government colleague Alistair Carmichael didn’t share this news with Shetland Charitable Trust. Maybe now Alistair and his party colleague and MSP Tavish Scott will speak up in support of their many embittered constituents that live within two kilometres of 61 of Viking’s giant industrial turbines.

The real reason for Climate Change Minister Barker’s announcement is of course a shift government policy of supporting onshore wind farms to one of supporting offshore wind farms. From this you would expect that Renewable Obligation Certificate subsidy would also move offshore.

However, the Telegraph article says of a government source ‘They are also ready to reduce the £400 million per year in funding that goes to wind farms under the Renewable Obligation Certificate subsidy’. So where does this leave the Viking Energy Project funded by Shetland Charitable Trust? If the Viking wind farm is built it leaves us with 103 turbines that can’t earn their keep and bankrupt charitable trust.

Allen Fraser
Meal
Hamnavoe
Burra

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