The Energy White Paper

The Government’s White Paper was published in March 2003. It would be correct to say that it had a cool reception – “fudge” and “cop-out” were typical judgements. The Times thought it had been mangled by the Treasury at a late stage, and it is clear that it pushed aside the clear advice of the Government’s own Scientific Adviser and the experts in electricity generation, in ducking any decision about the future of nuclear energy, and in placing too much reliance on gas imports. None of this has particular relevance to any policy on windfarms, except that the Report continues to promote the fallacy that somehow intermittent and unreliable renewable energy could replace base-load nuclear and coal.

However, the biggest climb-down of all is the “target” of 20% of electricity from renewables by 2020, and the virtual abandonment of existing targets for 2010, and their replacement by an aspiration to reduce our greenhouse emissions by 60% by 2050. This seems to be part of a trend on the Government’s part to abandon a whole battery of performance targets – a policy which seems to have  been based on the view that meeting targets was just a matter of incantation, the “Tinkerbell” theory of target setting. Perhaps it fits in well with the climate change world, in which we have predictions of global temperatures for the year 2100 to an accuracy of one decimal place Celsius but the Met. Office cheerfully admits to finding it extremely difficult to produce any reliable weather forecast beyond the day after tomorrow. Or it may be something to do with the realisation that wind energy is only producing 0.4% of our electricity, and biomass production is on its knees because of Government mismanagement, and we are only seven years from 2010.

Does the report have any good points, and what does it say about renewables, and in particular wind energy, and in particular onshore/near-shore wind?

• One good point is that the DTI  seems at last to have realised that  the problem of overuse of energy should first be tackled at the supply end – instead of putting thousands of 100+metre-high towers in our most sensitive countryside. This is what Country Guardian has been saying for the last 10 years. The subject is covered in section 3 of the Report; in section 3.6 it states “We believe that energy efficiency can contribute around half of the 15-25 MtC savings we are likely to need by 2020. Section 3 contains a good account of how this might be done, both in terms of the technology and, perhaps more important, how householders and industry are to be encouraged and organised to that end.

• Chapter 4 is headed “Low carbon generation” and contains most of the relevant stuff about renewables, including wind. The definition also includes ‘wave, tidal, solar voltaics(PV), hydro generation, geothermal and biomass (energy from forestry or crops)’. Section 4.5 says,"If we are to achieve a 60% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050 we are likely to need renewables by then to be contributing at least 30% to 40% of our electricity generation, and probably more”. In section 4.2 “The UK has over one third of Europe’s potential for offshore wind energy”. The old 2010 target is referred to in 4.6 “We have made a start…In January 2000 we announced our aim for renewables to supply 10% of UK electricity, subject to the costs being acceptable to the consumer. It is clear that achieving the 10% target over the next seven years will be very challenging “(editor’s italics). 4.9 gives comparisons and statistics. The main engine for increasing the rate of development will be the Renewables Obligation. A further £60 million is to allocated to research, “including ramping up medium-term funding for offshore wind”. There is also to be more spent on solar PV and wave/tidal.
• Planning. It is well known that the lack of progress in the development of UK onshore wind is mainly due to the planning system, which has rejected a majority of projects on environmental grounds. What does the Energy White Paper say about this. Well, the stage is set is section 1.40:

“The future energy system will require greater involvement from English regions and from local communities, complemented by a planning system that is more helpful to investment in infrastructure and new electricity generation, particularly renewables. Strong links with the Devolved Administrations, who are already fully engaged on a wide range of energy issues, will continue to be essential.”

The detail is contained in paragraphs 4.30, 4.31 and 4.32:

4.30 Many of those who responded to the whitepaper consultation saw planning as one of

the big obstacles to new renewables. We recognise that this is a serious problem forrenewables. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) will shortly publish new planning guidance on renewables (PPS22)for England . A separate guide containing advice on best practice will also be published. These documents will provide guidance to local planning authorities and developers about the best way to promote renewables through the planning system as well as encouraging a strategic approach to the deployment of renewable projects through regional planning guidance and development plans.

We will also be consulting on a new regional-level strategic approach to energy issues, including renewables, which we expect will incorporate regional targets, as discussed further in chapter 9. This approach will help to encourage regional bodies as well as loca lauthorities to examine strategically the resources and opportunities for renewable projects within their areas and what they can do to develop them in their region.

4.31 ODPM, in partnership with other government departments, will be examining how to bring consideration of the use of renewables and energy efficiency in developments more within the scope of the planning system, in the context of the review of PPG22 and the Government’s wider planning reforms, and in a way that does not impose undue burdens on developers.

4.32 We need better information on what is happening on the ground. We will therefore work with local planning authorities and others to obtain better statistics on the number of renewable projects that are achieving planning approval and why others are being rejected. 

This reflects the philosophy of the Planning White Paper and the new Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill currently before the House of Commons.

• Chapter 5 covers Transport and Chapter 6 (Energy Reliability) covers an important area for wind energy but fudges the issues, i.e., the backup necessary to cover the intermittency of wind energy.  Chapter 7 is entitled Productivity, competitiveness and innovation, Chapter 8 is Energy and the vulnerable and Chapter 9 is Delivery through partnership.