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Nearly half of offshore wind projects in the running for go-early contracts have failed to qualify, the latest government figures show.
Higher levels of support for the sector announced on Wednesday were not enough to get projects such as Centrica’s £2 billion Race Bank array through the fast-track regime.
Meanwhile, analysis by think-tank the Green Alliance showed the investment pipeline for offshore wind in the next two years had slumped from £20 billion to £3 billion.
Of the 12 offshore developments applying for the government’s Final Investment Decision Enabling programme, only 7 have been approved for the next stage.
Coal-to-biomass conversions fared better, with all six applications, totalling 3GW, passing through to the next stage. These include units at Drax and Eggborough. RWE had withdrawn its application for converting Tilbury to biomass.
Two out of three onshore wind projects made it through and one out of four biomass combined heat and power plants.
Commenting on the dip in investment, Green Alliance chief economist Julian Morgan said: “At a time when there are still 2.5 million unemployed, the major downgrading of plans for renewable energy infrastructure over the next couple of years is a missed economic, as well as environmental, opportunity. Whilst increasing incentives to build offshore wind is a step in the right direction, the chancellor and the prime minister now need to emphasise the importance of new infrastructure in helpingBritainmake the transition to a low carbon economy. They should avoid distracting rhetoric and develop a clear plan to attract these projects and their supporting supply chains into theUK.”
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