Coalition clash as Tory minister calls for a halt to spread of wind farms

 
Wind Farm
PA
Peter Dominiczak31 October 2012

A Coalition row erupted today as Lib-Dem Energy Secretary Ed Davey slapped down his new Tory minister for saying the UK has had “enough” of wind farms.

In comments designed to delight Tory backbenchers, John Hayes yesterday told newspapers that the country is now “peppered” with onshore wind farms and that “enough is enough”.

He said it “seems extraordinary” that they have been allowed to spread and added that we can “no longer have wind turbines imposed on communities”.

Senior Lib-Dem sources today said Mr Hayes intended to repeat the comments in a speech last night but was forced to remove them by Mr Davey, who told him they were “not acceptable”.

Mr Hayes later gave a speech to a Glasgow renewables conference that was “in line with current government policy on wind farms”.

A furious Mr Davey said today: “There has been no change to Government policy on renewable energy, as collectively agreed by the Coalition Cabinet. Onshore wind is one of the cheapest renewables, which is why we’ve been able to cut the subsidy. It has an important role to play in our energy future.”

But a source close to the Energy Secretary was more forthright, saying: “John Hayes might wish that he had the final say on energy policy and that he was in a single-party government — but he doesn’t and he isn’t.

“He didn’t deliver the speech because he was told it was not acceptable. He is not in charge of renewable policies on his own. He has to follow the Coalition agreement, which is in favour of renewable energy and meeting our legal EU targets for 2020.”

Mr Hayes today attempted to play down reports of a Coalition rift over wind farms.

He said: “We’ve issued a call for evidence, which is designed precisely to look at how we can get a better sense of ownership from local communities of wind turbines. That is right in line with government policy.”

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