Ofgem needs power to encourage wind farms - Huhne

9.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 10th Oct 2006

Huhne calls for Government to encourage more investment in wind energy

Liberal Democrat Shadow Environment Secretary, Chris Huhne MP, will call for the Government to encourage more investment in wind energy by designating planning zones appropriate for wind turbines.

Speaking to the British Wind Energy Association annual conference in Glasgow today, Mr Huhne will say "Wind energy is on course to meet half of the Government's target for renewables by 2010, but more could be done if investors were careful to bring local communities on board, and also knew where turbines would be looked on favourably.

"There should also be a change in Ofgem's remit to ensure that it brings generation into the national grid once the cost of carbon has been taken into account. At present, it merely brings the lowest cost generators on stream regardless of the carbon emissions.

"There should also be banding of the Renewables Obligation to encourage some of the higher cost renewable sources of energy such as tidal and wave power, which are currently much less economical than wind."