Planning backlog threatens renewables targets

On-going delays caused by the planning system mean that England's regions will miss 2010 targets for generating electricity from renewable sources, according to the latest report by the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA).

Under the UK's domestic target to reach 10 per cent of electricity generation from renewables by 2010, England was split into nine regions with separate targets. But according to the BWEA's figures on average across the nine regions only 50 per cent of the renewable electricity generation target will be met.

Some regions, such as the South West, failed to deliver even a third of its target, while only London is on track to hit its original goal.

The report shows that the overall 10 per cent target will only be met because both Scotland and Northern Ireland are set to outstrip their requirements.

Maria McCaffery, chief executive at the BWEA, said English planning policy would do well to emulate that successfully pioneered in Scotland and Northern Ireland if it wants to address long-standing bottlenecks in the planning system.

"In Scotland, renewables targets were backed by a policy framework and decisive central government action," she said. "But in England we need to think carefully on how to use the lessons learned from 2010, as we attempt to reach the binding EU-wide 2020 targets."

The UK government has proposed changes to the planning system designed to streamline decision-making processes, but the changes will only apply to a small number of the largest projects, with many smaller wind farms left to battle with local planning authorities for approval.

According to the BWEA, despite the government's commitment to address the issue many wind farms are still being hampered by slow planning processes, with wind farm applications in England and Wales taking an average of 14 months to be fully processed, instead of the statutory guideline period of 16 weeks.

The 2010 targets are voluntary, but the UK is signed up to legally binding targets to generate 15 per cent of its energy from renewables by 2020. Tomorrow the government will publish its Renewable Energy Strategy, which will set out how the UK should reach this target.

The BWEA says lessons need to be learned from the regions' failure to hit the 2010 targets if the UK is to have any hope of meeting its 2020 goal.

"A clear schedule of implementation backed by central Government, with a system of checks and balances as we approach 2020, will be crucial if we want to join the renewable energy revolution, and not be laggards in Europe," said McCaffery.

However, in more encouraging news for the industry, yesterday saw the official opening of the largest wind farm in the South of England, npower renewables' 78 MW Little Cheyne Court.