UK wind industry joins energy elite

A snowy hill on the outskirts of Stirling in Scotland was the scene today of a significant milestone of achievement for the UK wind industry when Secretary of State Alistair Darling switched on the turbine which pushed the UK into position as one of the top seven players in the global wind market.

The generation and export to the grid of electricity from the Braes of Doune wind farm places brings the UK’s total wind power portfolio to two gigawatts, or 2,000 megawatts, generating sufficient electricity to meet the needs of 1.1 million households – corresponding to a third of London’s homes, or almost half the homes in Scotland - and will prevent the emission of over 4 million tonnes of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, equivalent to taking 1.5 million cars off the road.

The commissioning of the UK’s second gigawatt of installed capacity – only 20 months after commissioning its first and a far cry from the 14 years it took for the industry to achieve it’s first - firmly positions the wind industry as a key player in the UK energy market and the UK wind industry as a significant part of a global wind market worth £12 billion last year alone.

BWEA Chief Executive Maria McCaffery, who was onsite to witness the commissioning, said: “This is a day for celebrating the achievement of a significant milestone for our industry and underlining the position of wind energy as the true leader in the renewables revolution. There is still much work to do if we are to achieve the Government’s target of delivering 10% of our electricity from renewable sources by 2010, but today’s news is a tremendous step forward for harnessing our abundant natural resources for clean and sustainable energy production which is essential in overcoming the challenges of climate change and securing energy supply.”

Secretary of State for Trade and Industry Alistair Darling, said: “Reaching two gigawatts is a significant landmark and the UK wind industry is to be applauded. It reflects the Government’s commitment to expanding the UK’s renewable energy resource. This is central to our efforts to tackle climate change, highlighted again last week by the UN’s International Panel on Climate Change. “We want 20% of our electricity to come from these green sources and we are working hard on removing any barriers to achieving that aim. Wave, tidal and offshore wind power can make a significant contribution in future but onshore wind energy is delivering capacity here and now.”

Eddie O’Connor, Chief Executive of Airtricity who developed the Braes of Doune project, added: “We are delighted that our new 72 MW Braes of Doune wind farm is playing a pivotal role in achieving a UK generation record of two gigawatts of wind power.

Wind energy replaces fossil fuel when the wind is blowing and so saves the cost of buying the fuel. Wind is free. Wind energy has a fixed price and so mitigates the risk of fossil fuel price fluctuations. In a study carried out on the Scottish market it has been shown that the customer gets a reduction in price of 6% because of the risk reduction that wind entails.

Such a large amount of wind means that the spot price of fossil fuels is reduced. If the wind blows strongly for a long winter period (as happens each year) then the price of next summer’s fossil fuels is reduced. More wind means that carbon fines are foregone and the world is made into a safer place.

Airtricity’s two operational wind farms in Scotland and our planned on and offshore wind farm developments in the UK will help the country reach its renewables targets for both 2010 and 2020.”

The commissioning of the UK’s second gigawatt of wind power capacity is welcome news to many, including the RSPB, who’s Director of Conservation Dr Mark Avery commented: “Renewable energy can play a valuable role in helping to combat climate change, which poses a significant threat to birds and other wildlife. The RSPB welcomes opportunities to work with developers to ensure that wind farms are designed and sited so as to avoid damaging important wildlife and habitats."

With Government’s target for 10% of electricity supplies from renewables less than three years away, 2007 is a critical year for the wind industry if it is to meet widely held expectations of it as the main contributor to meeting targets. 771 MW is already under construction but a potential 6% (7.8 GW) of UK electricity supplies is still caught in the planning system from onshore wind projects alone, an issue that needs to be resolved rapidly if the country is to reach 3 gigawatts in record time and keep pace with other the countries flying the renewables flag.

For further information, see the accompanying status report on the UK wind industry.

Interviews are available: contact Alison Hill, Head of Communications, BWEA on 020 7689 1966 / 07956 859 749 / alison@bwea.com