Shadow Energy Minister says the Tories' Ban on onshore wind turbines 'deeply unfair'; Photo: David Levenson/Getty Images
Ed Miliband has pledged to lift the ban on new onshore wind farms if Labor claims victory in the general election.
The shadow energy secretary has promised that a Labor government will scrap planning rules that currently require local community support to approve proposed turbines.
If he becomes president, he plans to use a ministerial “written statement” to remove the national planning policy obligation to “adequately address community concerns” — a provision that has effectively blocked onshore wind projects for a decade.
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The ban on onshore wind power was introduced by then Prime Minister Lord Cameron in 2015, who was so concerned about the backlash from Nimbys over a range of planned wind farms that he gave local communities across England the power to block them.< /p>
The plans are likely to cause a backlash, as has already happened in Wales, where the Labor government created zones called “wind energy pre-assessment areas”.
Mr Miliband said: “People have different views on the onshore wind ban, but we will scrap it.
“According to the Resolution Foundation, this [ban] cost poor households six times more than middle-class households. And we are going to achieve justice.”
The zoning system in Wales means that large swathes of the countryside are deemed suitable for wind farms, despite what local residents may think.
This has caused a surge in planning applications for giant wind turbines up to 800ft high, which two or three times larger than any others built in the principality.
Protest groups sprang up everywhere, from Anglesey in the north to Powys in the south. Similar battles are being fought across the Scottish Highlands, both against turbines and power poles.
Mr Miliband said it was too early to tell whether a similar zoning system would be introduced in England, but even after the current ban was lifted there would still be checks and balances.
“We want a proper, fair process to get community consent,” he said. «We obviously want to work with local authorities on this issue, but we want to lift this ban.»
Onshore wind turbines are just one way in which Labor hopes to decarbonise the UK's electricity supply by 2030.
At the heart of this is a single key challenge: breaking the link between electricity generation and gas burning. . Mr Miliband said this could be a key indicator by which he could ultimately be judged.
The UK is currently dependent on gas, accounting for 38% of its total energy supply, with around 75 billion cubic meters of gas consumed annually. This is equivalent to 1,100 cubic meters per person, which is roughly the volume of 14 double-decker buses.
A third of this gas, about 25–30 billion cubic meters, is burned in power plants to provide light. Replacing high-carbon electricity with green energy is something Mr Miliband's potential time in office will be a big focus of.
But why did he set the target to 2030, a colossal task that many experts consider impossible? Why not stick to the 2035 target — a target set by the current government with broad agreement from the energy industry?
“The electricity part [of net zero] is really important,” Mr Miliband said. “A clean energy system is the linchpin of the path to decarbonization.
“We didn't choose 2030 for clean energy simply because we think it's achievable. We think this is achievable, but also because it will be the basis for achieving net zero… 2030 will be a decisive crossroads on this path.»
Electricity demand is expected to grow significantly in the coming years , as the country transitions to electric vehicles, electric heating via heat pumps and industrial electrification.
Mr Miliband said if electricity was still produced by burning gas it would make the job completely pointless, which is why decarbonising the energy system is Labour's priority.
He suggested it was necessary to ease the UK's dependence on dependency the use of gas will bring other benefits, especially in the field of energy security.
«The case for clean energy is now also the case for energy independence, energy security and lower bills,» Mr Miliband said. “This was clearly and tragically demonstrated by the invasion of Ukraine, where we were at the mercy of Vladimir Putin.
“This is because gas is traded internationally, and whether it was our own or imported, we faced a terrible price shock that the British people are still paying for. And the Office for Budget Responsibility has warned that this could happen again.”
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Eliminating Britain's dependence on gas will go far beyond simply decarbonizing the energy system — and perhaps the toughest challenge of all is yet to come.
Energy in Britain comes mainly from industry, be it wind farms, nuclear power stations or gas. There are around 35 large gas-fired power stations in the UK, so changes can be made relatively easily.
However, almost all the heat generated to heat homes and businesses comes from gas boilers, installed in 25 million homes, or from oil-fired systems installed in another one to two million buildings.
How will Labor convince us to replace these fossil fuel appliances with expensive heat pumps?
Mr Miliband said: “When it comes to heating homes, as we said in our manifesto, no one will be forced to tear out their boiler. We understand this absolutely clearly. We are not adhering to the government target of 2035 when you will not be able to replace your gas boiler. I know we have to show that heat pumps are affordable and will work for people.
“For many people now, including me, heat pumps already work. I have a heat pump and a battery… But it should work economically for everyone. We've been through a cost of living crisis, we're still going through a cost of living crisis.
“So we can't do it in a way where ordinary people end up paying more for it. And this is something that our government, if we are in power, will be completely focused on.”
The end of the Conservative government's planned ban on most new boilers in 2035 is a significant shift in policy. But Mr Miliband said voters would never be persuaded by the stick — that is, bans and bigger installation bills — so he wanted to offer them a carrot.
He added: “I'll be honest, I think the one good thing the current government has done among a lot of bad things is increase the heat pump grant to £7,500.”
Replacing gas boilers with heat pumps costs on average between £10,000 and £12,000, while a boiler replacement typically costs between £2,000 and £3,000. This rules out heat pumps for most people.
The government's boiler upgrade scheme offers some households £7,500 in grants, but the budget is limited to £450 million, enough for just 90,000 homes.
Mr Miliband said: “Heat pump consumption in our country is absolutely negligible compared to other countries. We want to make it cost effective for people in the private sector to install heat pumps.
“It has to work economically for people.”
“My message to Telegraph readers, if I may be so bold, is to support clean energy not just because it's right for the climate , but because it is the right thing to do for energy security, lower costs and create jobs.
“Clean energy will be cheaper than fossil fuels and safer because dictators will not be able to control it.”
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