The government gave a significant boost to the wind power industry today when it promised to extend the Renewables Obligation of financial support until 2037 in the pre-budget statement.
Chancellor Alistair Darling also changed airline passenger taxes to a system that he said would reduce aviation but dropped plans for a more stringent duty on aircraft. Environmental campaigners were also disappointed that there was no wider Green New Deal.
The Renewables Obligation, which places a legal requirement on UK electrcity suppliers to source any growing percentage of their power from green sources, was only in place until 2027. Darling said today that it should run for a further 10 years "ensuring investors can plan with confidence for the future."
The BWEA said the move was "really encouraging" and would stimulate those companies looking at plans to build expensive projects deep into the North Sea.
"Under the old regime many companies ...