By News on the Net -- Net Zero Watch——Bio and Archives--March 28, 2023
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London, 28 March –
Net Zero Watch has accused the wind industry and the government of
colluding to mislead the public about the true cost of wind energy.
The
Government has repeatedly assured us that energy bills would soon fall
as a result of much lower prices for offshore wind power, set at recent
Contracts for Difference (CfD) auctions.
However, a new Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (now Department for Energy Security and Net Zero) and the Low Carbon Contracts Company (LCCC) has revealed that offshore wind farms and other generators are under no obligation whatsoever to take up their CfD options.
It
is therefore almost certain that wind farm operators will simply not
trigger their contracts. Instead, they are sell electricity on the open
market at much higher prices, as two offshore wind farms are already
doing. They are selling electricity at prices nearly double than they
agreed in their contracts.
A
series of research papers published by Net Zero Watch and others has
shown that the true costs of offshore wind power are much higher than
claimed, and that the low prices contracted at recent CfD auctions are
simply nonviable.
Net
Zero Watch is calling on the Government to impose a 100% windfall tax
on all generators who refuse to honour their contracts.
Climate and energy analyst, Paul Homewood, said:
"The
Contracts for Difference scheme has been badly designed since the
outset, and has already cost energy users £5.7 billion. For offshore
wind farms, it is Heads I win, Tails you lose."
More information
Will offshore wind lower energy bills?
Contact
Paul Homewood
e: phomewooduk@yahoo.co.uk
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