The deal signed between Siemens and Dong Energy to supply 300 offshore wind turbines, estimated to be worth Eur2.5 billion, reaffirms the ‘fantastic’ potential for the UK to become a leader in offshore renewables, according to WWF-UK. The group warns, however, that Government indecision over support for renewable energy was creating uncertainty in a sector which needed to plan investment decisions for the long term.
Jenny Banks, energy policy officer at WWF-UK, says: “This deal is fantastic news for the UK but it’s coming despite, not because of, what the Government’s doing. Political rows over support for renewables between DECC and the Treasury risk serious damage to this sector, even though the economics of wind are, according to the CBI, ‘blindingly obvious’. The Government also needs to be aware that the industry’s also looking for certainty beyond 2020 too – otherwise there’s a danger that serious investment like this in the UK economy will simply drop off a cliff-edge.”