Ed Davey, the energy and climate change secretary, has given the green light to a huge windfarm right next door to the constituency of his turbine-phobic colleague, John Hayes.
Up to 22 turbines are to be erected at Heckington Fen in Lincolnshire, just north of Hayes' constituency, making it the fourth largest onshore windfarm in England, according to developer, Ecotricity.
Davey, a Lib Dem MP who has always been supportive of renewable energy, has consistently been embarrassed by Hayes, the new energy minister and Conservative MP for South Holland, and a growing anti-wind power movement in some parts of the coalition.
It is already difficult to win planning permission for onshore windfarms, particularly in Lincolnshire, where the Conservative-run county council has introduced tough hurdles for turbine schemes.
Hayes, who took the energy portfolio last autumn, has complained that too many wind turbines have been "peppered" across the UK without enough consideration for the countryside and people's homes, adding that "enough is enough".
"We can no longer have wind turbines imposed on communities. I can't single-handedly build a new Jerusalem but I can protect our green and pleasant land," he said in an interview.
Lincolnshire county council explained on its website why new guidelines for windfarms were needed, saying "although supportive of alternative energy, councillors questioned the efficiency of turbines and their impact on the county's residents, landscapes and tourism industry".
More than 100 Conservative backbenchers wrote to David Cameron earlier this year, calling on him to scale back subsidies to onshore windfarms, on the grounds they were an eyesore and economically inefficient.
Their letter was followed up by a rash of comments from the chancellor, George Osborne, about the dangers of Britain moving faster on "green" energy than competitors in Europe, resulting in the UK industry facing higher costs.
A Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) spokesman declined to comment on Hayes's thoughts about the Heckington Fen project, saying simply that it was not a decision for him to take. "Onshore wind has an important role to play as part of a balanced energy mix.
This development will enhance our energy security and help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions," the spokesman added.
Dale Vince, the founder of Ecotricity, said: "We're grateful to the secretary of state for his decision in the face of considerable political hot air right now on the subject of windmills, and we'd also like to thank the many people in the local community that wrote letters of support for the project.
"Heck Fen will make a significant contribution to Britain's energy supply, powering the equivalent of almost 40,000 homes for the next 25 years and will reduce our dependence on imported fossil fuels, which are the primary source of the Britain's carbon emissions."
Earlier this week, the DECC showed its determination to plough ahead with wind schemes when it invested £50m in a fund buying equity stakes in six projects, both onshore and offshore.
Hayes's supporters pointed out that although the energy minister was concerned about onshore windfarms, his comments about there being enough took into account those already in the planning process such as the Ecotricity scheme.
guardian.co.uk
Up to 22 turbines are to be erected at Heckington Fen in Lincolnshire, just north of Hayes' constituency, making it the fourth largest onshore windfarm in England, according to developer, Ecotricity.
Davey, a Lib Dem MP who has always been supportive of renewable energy, has consistently been embarrassed by Hayes, the new energy minister and Conservative MP for South Holland, and a growing anti-wind power movement in some parts of the coalition.
It is already difficult to win planning permission for onshore windfarms, particularly in Lincolnshire, where the Conservative-run county council has introduced tough hurdles for turbine schemes.
Hayes, who took the energy portfolio last autumn, has complained that too many wind turbines have been "peppered" across the UK without enough consideration for the countryside and people's homes, adding that "enough is enough".
"We can no longer have wind turbines imposed on communities. I can't single-handedly build a new Jerusalem but I can protect our green and pleasant land," he said in an interview.
Lincolnshire county council explained on its website why new guidelines for windfarms were needed, saying "although supportive of alternative energy, councillors questioned the efficiency of turbines and their impact on the county's residents, landscapes and tourism industry".
More than 100 Conservative backbenchers wrote to David Cameron earlier this year, calling on him to scale back subsidies to onshore windfarms, on the grounds they were an eyesore and economically inefficient.
Their letter was followed up by a rash of comments from the chancellor, George Osborne, about the dangers of Britain moving faster on "green" energy than competitors in Europe, resulting in the UK industry facing higher costs.
A Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) spokesman declined to comment on Hayes's thoughts about the Heckington Fen project, saying simply that it was not a decision for him to take. "Onshore wind has an important role to play as part of a balanced energy mix.
This development will enhance our energy security and help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions," the spokesman added.
Dale Vince, the founder of Ecotricity, said: "We're grateful to the secretary of state for his decision in the face of considerable political hot air right now on the subject of windmills, and we'd also like to thank the many people in the local community that wrote letters of support for the project.
"Heck Fen will make a significant contribution to Britain's energy supply, powering the equivalent of almost 40,000 homes for the next 25 years and will reduce our dependence on imported fossil fuels, which are the primary source of the Britain's carbon emissions."
Earlier this week, the DECC showed its determination to plough ahead with wind schemes when it invested £50m in a fund buying equity stakes in six projects, both onshore and offshore.
Hayes's supporters pointed out that although the energy minister was concerned about onshore windfarms, his comments about there being enough took into account those already in the planning process such as the Ecotricity scheme.
guardian.co.uk
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