Renewables Relief: Brexit Brings End to Britain’s Staggering Wind Power Subsidies

As Britain begins to untangle itself from the web of subsidies, regulations and mandates set by green-left lunatics in Europe, its rent-seeking wind power outfits must be feeling as anxious as ever. The cost of intermittent and unreliable renewables can no longer be concealed (despite the climate cults’ best efforts) and, with that in mind, its ruling Conservatives are on a mission to return Britain to the days when power was both reliable and cheap.

Britain preparing to scrap EU green energy targets as part of a bonfire of red tape after Brexit
The Telegraph
Steven Swinford
14 April 2017

Britain is preparing to scrap EU green energy targets which will add more than £100 to the average energy bill as part of a bonfire of red tape after Brexit.

The UK is currently committed to getting 15 per cent of all energy from renewable sources such as wind and solar by 2020.

Ministers have long been critical of the targets because they exclude nuclear power, carbon capture or gains from energy efficiency.

The UK is currently on course to miss the target and incur millions of pounds in fines from the European Union.

Government sources told The Daily Telegraph that the target, under the EU Renewable Energy Directive, is likely to be scrapped after Brexit.

The Daily Telegraph has called on the Conservative Party to promise a bonfire of EU red tape in its 2020 manifesto to put Britain on a radically different course.

Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary, has “applauded” the campaign and he backed calls to sweep away decades of “burdensome” EU regulations after Brexit.

It comes after civil service documents, photographed on a trade, revealed that Britain plans to scale down its concern over climate change after Brexit.

Details of the policy change were contained in the papers of a senior civil servant at the Department for International Trade (DIT) photographed by a passenger earlier this month.

The notes say: “Trade and growth are now priorities for all posts — you will all need to prioritise developing capability in this area.

Some economic security-related work like climate change and illegal wildlife trade will be scaled down.”

Earlier this month Bloomberg, the news agency, revealed that officials at the Treasury and department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy have been discussing axing the renewables target.

The EU Renewable Energy Directive requires the UK to generate 15 per cent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020 – up from three per cent when the directive was adopted in 2009.

The target has led to billions of pounds Government subsidies for renewable power sources such as wind, solar and biomass power plants, which are ultimately paid for by customers through their energy bills.

The National Audit Office estimated that green energy subsidies will cost every household £110 a year by 2020.

Owen Paterson, a Conservative MP and former Environment Secretary, said: “It’s distorting the whole energy market. It’s like the Sherrif of Nottingham – it transfers money from my poorest constituents to my wealthiest constituents who are putting up pointless wind turbines heavily subsidised.

I would be very happy to see the back of it.” According to a House of Commons report, ministers will have to import 19,000 EU rules and regulations on to our statute books as part of the Great Repeal Bill, which will take shape in a white paper published on Thursday.

EU regulations are estimated to cost Britain a total of more than £120 billion per year. The Common Agricultural Policy alone reportedly costs £10 billion in direct costs and by inflating food prices.

After Brexit occurs in 2019, the merits of each regulation will be assessed before a decision is made on whether to jettison it or not.
The Telegraph 

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‘It’s distorting the whole energy market’ Britain to scrap EU’s green targets post-Brexit

Express
Ross Logan
15 April 2017

The Renewable Energy Directive is thought to be among of raft of EU policies set for the post-Brexit bonfire of Brussels diktats, Government insiders have suggested.

The directive sets targets for each EU member state for the production and promotion of energy from renewable sources such as solar and wind.

Britain’s current target is to generate 15 per cent of all energy from renewable sources by 2020 – a figure it is likely to miss, resulting in fines.

Critics say the policy is distorting, as the targets only look at energy generated and not efficiencies made.

It’s also resulted in the Government spending billions on subsidies for wind and solar farms which are ultimately paid for by customers through energy bills.

Conservative MP Owen Paterson, a former environment secretary, told the newspaper: “It’s distorting the whole energy market.

“It’s like the Sheriff of Nottingham – it transfers money from my poorest constituents to my wealthiest constituents who are putting up pointless wind turbines heavily subsidised.”

It comes after civil service documents outlining plans to ‘scale down’ Government work on climate change in favour of trade and growth were photographed on a train last week.

Foreign secretary Boris Johnson has previously called some EU regulations “burdensome” and said one of the benefits of leaving would be the power to get rid of them.

But that will take some time, as the so-called Great Repeal Bill is effectively a template for all EU laws to instantly become British, with ministers gradually eliminating and adapting the laws to suit the needs of post-Brexit Britain.
Express