Ministers to be given powers to bypass local opposition to onshore wind farms

Ed Miliband has said he will be able to bypass local opposition to onshore wind farms as Energy Secretary under plans to decarbonise the grid.

Ministers will be given new powers to drive forward clean power energy projects as part of a major action plan to reach 95% clean energy in the UK by 2030.

The Government on Friday outlined a host of reforms that it will introduce throughout 2025 to start weaning the UK electricity system off its dependence on fossil fuels by the end of the decade.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Mr Miliband confirmed that ministers will be able to have the final say on approving onshore wind turbines across the UK.

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These decisions have previously been left to councils but strict planning rules introduced by the Conservative government in 2015 meant local opposition has often stalled or blocked projects from moving ahead.

Mr Miliband said: “At the moment we have nationally significant infrastructure projects, which are decided by me as the Secretary of State.

“We don’t have that for onshore wind because it was banned from 2015 to 2024 – until this Government came to office – by the last government, leaving us vulnerable.”

Asked if he would have the ultimate say as Energy Secretary if there is a big pushback from locals for wind turbines, he said: “Yes, that’s correct.

“My message to local people is: people should have a say. That’s really important. People should see a direct benefit if they host clean energy infrastructure, but we do need to build.”

As compensation for hosting wind and solar farms in their community, households could receive discounts on their energy bills as well as other benefits that will be set out in legislation next year.

But Mr Miliband also insisted the British public is “on our side on this”, saying the polling shows people support onshore wind.

When pressed on what they would offer communities, Downing Street said that the Government is “reviewing” how to most effectively deliver benefits, calling it a “priority”.

While Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said people should have a say in where wind turbines are built, she added that some considerations should override that when it comes to nationally significant infrastructure projects.

“I think the overall issue is that we need to make sure that people’s quality of life and the their personal wellbeing is not unduly impacted by development,” she said.

“Of course, we want to make sure that we have more energy security in the country. That is a critical thing to do, and we will support the Government when they’re doing sensible things in order to achieve that.”

As the grid is decarbonised, the Government said bills will eventually fall for good, ensuring households and businesses do not suffer the same impacts of the recent energy crisis driven by spiking gas prices.

However, shadow energy secretary Claire Coutinho said Mr Miliband’s “rush” to decarbonise the grid will push up electricity prices and “cause more hardship for people across Britain”.

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Miliband stuck by Labour’s pledge that reaching 95% of clean power by 2030 will bring down bills by up to £300, but did not rule out bills rising in the short-term because of Britain’s reliance on fossil fuels.

“I can’t guarantee what’s going to happen to bills next month, because we’re in the grip of the international fossil fuel markets,” he said.

“It’s precisely to get away from that and having homegrown clean energy we control – that is the way to lower bills.”

Among the other measures outlined by the Government include new powers for energy regulator Ofgem and independent National Energy System Operator (NESO) to bring forward priority projects waiting in a queue to link up with the National Grid in a process that will likely prove controversial.

The Government will also explore how to limit legal challenges along the way by introducing new powers to protect itself from action launched by projects being pushed back in the queue and looking at ways to curtail the ability of judicial reviews to delay the approval of major infrastructure projects.

Challenged about the point of the cost of Labour’s plan when countries like the US could wipe out others efforts to reduce emissions, he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “This is about giving us energy security. And by the way, on climate this transition is unstoppable. Whatever one government or one country or even one president does, this is an unstoppable transition.”

Energy industry and green groups largely welcomed the plan, but environmental campaigners urged ministers against investing in carbon capture projects and biomass at the expense of supporting more renewable energy developments.

Greg Jackson, chief executive of Octopus, said: “Britain’s high energy prices stem from years of bad rules that don’t allow us to build renewable energy in the places it’s needed, or make use of cheap wind when it’s abundant, so these are positive steps.”

Jonathan Brearley, chief executive of Ofgem, said: “Getting to clean power by 2030 is tough but achievable; it will require unprecedented pace by Government, industry and regulators.

“The clean power plan makes clear there are tough trade-offs, which is why it’s vital that the Government brings the public, businesses and industry with it on every step of the journey. We will review this action plan in detail and set out our next steps early in 2025.”

Doug Parr, Greenpeace UK’s policy director, said: “The winds of change are finally blowing in the right direction.

“However, a plan for clean power cannot continue to rely on destructive biomass, or extend the life of climate-wrecking oil and gas by assigning capacity to carbon capture and storage,” he added, saying money earmarked for these projects would be better spend on renewables, grid and storage infrastructure.”