Ritchie presses Government on support for renewables | Latest Newry News, Newry Sport and Newry Business for Newry City

Ritchie presses Government on support for renewables

SDLP MP for South Down, Margaret Ritchie, has questioned the Department of Energy and Climate Change in the Commons on how the decision to scrap all support for onshore wind will impact renewable energy in Britain and Northern Ireland.

ritchieSpeaking to Newry Times, Ritchie said, “I asked the Government about the future of on-shore wind projects, and the Minister could only refer me to projects ‘already in the pipeline.’

“This shows how the Government’s short-sighted decision to cut all support for onshore wind has created a cliff-edge for the industry.

“The Secretary of State for DECC talks about value for the tax-payer, but the Chancellor’s decision to give millions more to the oil and gas industry in the recent Budget shows that there is money available when the Government has the political will.

“The decision on onshore wind is more about appeasing climate-sceptics on the Conservative backbenches than it is about protecting bill-payers.

Article continues below:

CountryFest gifs“I believe the Government’s cuts to onshore wind support are wrong and have in fact taken away choice for communities that support locally-generated, low-carbon electricity.

She added, “It is time for the Secretary of State to listen to the renewables industry and look again at what subsidies can be provided, particularly for small-scale, rural energy generation.”

Short URL: https://newrytimes.com/?p=55572

Posted by on Mar 30 2016. Filed under Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

Leave a Reply







Find us on Facebook

Log in | Designed by Gabfire themes