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Call for freeze on green energy growth

Tuesday, 10th August 2010

UKIP MEP Mike Nattrass fears the Government is laying the foundations for an environmental assault where wind turbines and incinerators would spread across the country at an alarming rate.

From next week a ‘Feed in Tariff’ will apply to local authorities which would allow councils to sell electricity to the national grid.

But, Mr Nattrass fears the plans will result in the rapid development of unwanted and unnecessary incinerators despite the scarcity of rubbish to burn and an oversupply of incinerators across Europe.

The MEP added wind turbines are a woefully inefficient way of generating power due to the fluctuations of wind speed. As a result such schemes are reliant on fat Government subsidies to make them economically viable.

In the West Midlands, Mike Nattrass is campaigning against the development of a £120 million incinerator in Hartlebury and also against plans to erect six massive wind turbines in the Staffordshire village of Marston.

Now a storm is brewing over the Government’s efforts to encourage councils to invest in incinerators and put up wind turbines to generate income.

Mr Nattrass said: “The Government is simply opening the flood gates to the mass development of inefficient onshore wind turbines and incinerators.

“In the West Midlands Mercia Waste want to develop a £120m incinerator in Hartlebury despite the fact that other incinerators in the region are under-utilised.

“The coalition says on the one hand it wants to become the greenest government ever then on the other hand it is encouraging cash-strapped local authorities to erect wind masts which could spring up in our public parks.

“Councils are already panic-stricken by EU Landfill Directive targets but the development of unnecessary and unwanted incinerators in not the answer. More investment should be ploughed into our recycling infrastructure and also into clean coal.

"In my view, these extensive plans to subsidise energy generation at UK taxpayers' expense should be frozen pending research and implementation of efficient energy generation through sustainable 'green' technolgies.

"The recent move by French company GDF Suez to merge with the UK's International Power company will leave just two independent energy producers in the UK, Centrica and Scottish & Southern Energy.

"International Power, which owns UK assets including a coal-fired station in Rugeley, will be swallowed up by a company subsidised by the French state. How is this fair competition as British firms do not have state backing," he added