UK - Planning Bill is vital to achieving 2020 renewable targets

The UK’s leading renewable business organisation, BWEA today backed Government plans to introduce a fast track planning process for major infrastructure projects. Wednesday’s House of Commons vote on the Planning Reform Bill is expected to be close and wind industry representatives are concerned that a Government defeat could cause delays in developing a new generation of offshore wind-farms.

BWEA Chief Executive Maria McCaffery said “The Planning Bill is vital for delivering the UK’s renewable targets on time.’ She added ‘No Bill is ever perfect but unless we speed up the approvals process for offshore wind and new onshore grid upgrades there is no chance that we will meet our 2020 commitments’.

Currently it takes on average 8-9 years to move from identifying an offshore wind site to the wind farm becoming operational. In some instances offshore wind farms have been stuck in planning for five years. Grid power lines have also suffered from heavy delays, the Beauly-Denny line which would connect wind rich areas in the North of Scotland to the National Grid has been in the planning system since 2005. The Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) proposed by the Planning Bill would take over decision making on offshore wind farms over 100MW in size and for power cables over 132kv. Under the IPC arrangements planning applications would be fast-tracked through in under a year.

McCaffery added “The Bill works well for larger projects, but many vitally important small schemes will still need more help overcoming NIMBY opposition. We will be looking for stronger measures to help them in the Renewable Energy Strategy.”

“This could be a momentous week for renewable energy, with first the Planning Bill vote and then the publication of the Renewable Energy Strategy marking key milestones towards delivering 2020. Our political leaders have to focus what is important – without faster planning decisions we will not tackle climate change and reach our 2020 renewable targets.”