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BWEA Press Release

Thursday 30th January 2008

Wales Fails To Act On Clean Energy

Wales in danger of becoming 'Dirty man of Europe' on energy say wind industry

BWEA, the UK's leading renewable energy body that represents wind wave and tidal technologies, have warned that the Welsh Assembly Government will miss their renewable energy targets because of local government failures to implement national policy.

The criticism comes after last week's rejection by Denbighshire County Council of two seemingly viable wind farm projects, Llyn Brenig and Gorsedd Bran, despite the support of local people, council planning officers, and stakeholders. The rejections came on the same day as the much-heralded European Union adoption of ambitious renewable energy targets for 2020, and risk putting Wales further behind in the efforts to reduce carbon emissions and promote investment in renewables.

Rejecting the projects, both located in areas that have been identified as appropriate for such development by the Assembly Government and Denbighshire County Council itself, means that Wales is failing to honour its own national planning policy on renewable energy (TAN 8) and makes it very likely that the Government will miss its 800MW onshore wind energy target by 2010.

Llywelyn Rhys of BWEA Cymru said "Wales has the chance to become a world class centre of excellence for renewables. Despite a wonderful wind resource Wales is struggling to deliver at a local level. These industries are growing rapidly and the opportunities for jobs and inward investment are huge. What a shame if those opportunities were not to be grasped and Wales was left behind as energy backwater of Europe"

"It is clear that some local authorities in Wales are still not interested in wind farms or of following national policy and the lead given by the European Union. This is despite all the evidence showing that we need to act now if we are to counter climate change."

He continued "Local authorities, have a duty to act on climate change and embrace the renewable revolution by contributing to national, UK and European targets. Wales must not become the dirty man of Europe on energy issues."

For further information and/or interviews please contact Llywelyn Rhys 07875 434049 llywelyn@bwea.com

Notes to Editors:

• The British Wind Energy Association is the trade and professional body for the UK wind and marine renewables industries. Formed in 1978, and with over 360 corporate members, BWEA is the leading renewable energy trade association in the UK. Wind has been the world's fastest growing renewable energy source for the last seven years, and this trend is expected to continue with falling costs of wind energy and the urgent international need to tackle CO2 emissions to prevent climate change BWEA Cymru is a dedicated committee to Wales made up of twenty member companies with the aim of helping to deliver the Welsh Assembly Government's renewable energy targets.
• Despite Government guidelines stating that major planning applications should be decided within 16 weeks, in 2007 it took an average of 19 months for a wind farm planning application to be determined in Wales. Average appeal determination time was 38 months.
• The Welsh Assembly Government has a specific target of generating an additional 800 MW from onshore wind farms by 2010. Since the TAN 8 guidance was adopted in July 2005, local authorities have voted on 319 MW worth planning applications (21 separate wind farms), of these only 107MW (just over a third – 10 wind farms) have been approved. 236MW (11 wind farms) have been rejected by Welsh planning committees. To date only 73 additional MW have become operational.
• Local Authorities run the risk of incurring substantial costs if their planning decision is later reversed on appeal.