Wind farm subsidies to end a year early

The UK Government has ended its support for onshore wind power by excluding wind farms from a subsidy scheme a year earlier than had been expected.

Plans for around 3000 wind turbines are now in jeopardy, according to industry.

The Scottish Government has reacted angrily to the news, with Energy Minister Fergus Ewing calling the move “regrettable.”

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“The decision by the UK Government to end the Renewables Obligation next year is deeply regrettable and will have a disproportionate impact on Scotland as around 70 per cent of onshore wind projects in the UK planning system are here.

“This announcement goes further than what had been previously indicated. It is not the scrapping of a ‘new’ subsidy that was promised but a reduction of an existing regime - and one under which companies and communities have already planned investment,” he said.

UK Energy Secretary Amber Rudd said the move was delivering on a manifesto commitment. She told BBC Radio Scotland: “We always plan on having onshore wind as an important part of the mix of renewable energy. We hoped that it would provide around 10 per cent of UK energy by 2020 and it is on target to do that so it has deployed very successfully.

"Scotland is an important part in that, but there comes a point when we have to say 'that is sufficient for now'."