UK should become ‘Saudi Arabia of wind power’

The Conservative Environment Network (CEN) has called for the UK to become the “Saudi Arabia of wind power” by raising offshore wind capacity to 75GW by 2050.

In its new manifesto, the group has urged ministers to allow onshore wind projects to compete in contracts for difference (CfD) auctions and scrap plans for a VAT hike on some solar installations.

“Stewardship of the natural world; responsibility towards future generations; the search for resilience – these are core tenets of conservatism,” wrote CEN chair Ben Goldsmith in the foreword to the document.

“Yet we’re so often told that only the political left is able and willing to tackle the many and growing environmental crises facing us. Why has this become the received wisdom? And why have conservatives allowed this myth to be perpetuated?

“Today, the crises facing humanity have worsened beyond measure, and it is more important than ever that conservatives rediscover and champion their inherent affinity for looking after the natural world. This manifesto lays out a series of overarching ideas for doing just that.”

The manifesto also calls for:

• An independent environmental watchdog to hold the government to account.
• A ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in 2035 – five years earlier than the government has proposed. In preparation for the ban, CEN said ministers should also introduce government-backed interest-free loans on electric vehicle (EV) purchases, a new tax on the sale of non-EVs from 2030 and incentives to install ultra-fast chargers at strategic locations, such as on motorways.
• A review of fiscal policy for small-scale renewables following the closure of the feed-in tariff scheme to new applicants.
• A ban on fracking, which is “unpopular and uneconomic”. CEN warns fracking “offers little in the way of economic opportunity, and much more in the way of stranded assets”.
• An increase in government funding for the installation of energy efficiency measures in homes.
• A new planning regime incorporating the principle of “environmental net gain”. Housing developers would be required to assess to the lifetime environmental costs of their projects, including the expected consumption once the building is in use.
• A new National Resilience Unit to prepare the UK for the effects of climate change.

The manifesto has been signed by a total of 41 MPs, including James Heappey, Antoinette Sandbach and Zac Goldsmith.

The launch in Westminster was attended by Conservative leadership candidate Boris Johnson, who extolled the benefits of decarbonisation in terms of economic growth, claiming the UK is home to the “most advanced wind technology in the world”.

“The prospect of making this country cleaner and greener, and protecting all species and air quality, is something that excites all generations,” he remarked. “And it is something that Conservatives are very good at.”

A recent survey commissioned by CEN found 74 per cent of Conservative voters now support onshore wind, compared to 71 per cent of all voters.