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2,000 more wind turbines in countryside |
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Written by The Observer
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Sunday, 22 May 2005 |
Minister pledges numbers will double to generate 10pc of UK energy within five years
A massive expansion of
wind power involving thousands of new turbines will go ahead despite
increasingly bitter wrangling over claims that they are despoiling
Britain's countryside.
In
his first speech since becoming energy minister, Malcolm Wicks, will
offer unequivocal backing to the green lobby by insisting it is 'vital'
the government rides out vocal opposition to windfarms and sticks with
wind energy.
Wicks will underline
government pledges that by 2010 10 per cent of Britain's electricity
will be produced by renewable energy, including wind. The move will
more than double the number of turbines across the country over the
next few years.
The
backing for wind power will equate to at least another 2,000 turbines
sited across the UK with another 1,500 located offshore if the industry
is to reach government targets. At the moment there are around 1,230
turbines in the UK.
A
DTI spokesman said Wicks would use his debut announcement to 'reaffirm
the government's commitment to developing wind' to tackle the threat of
climate change. The minister will also stress the importance of
increasing British-produced electricity to limit reliance on imported
power.
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Complete article The Observer
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