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New Vestas wind turbine plant for Kent
11 May 2011
Commenting on reports today (Wednesday 11 May) that wind turbine manufacturer Vestas is planning to build a new factory in Kent, creating 2,000 jobs, Friends of the Earth's senior climate campaigner Tony Bosworth said:
"This is great news - the UK has a huge offshore wind potential that could help power Britain cleanly and safely in the future.
"But uncertainty over energy policy has put companies off investing in the UK for too long.
"To reassure investors the Government must guarantee long-term support for renewable energy and allow the new Green Bank to borrow money straight away so that it can help clean energy projects like offshore wind farms to get off the ground now."
ENDS
Notes to editors
1. On Monday the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) advised that to meet our 2020 renewable energy target, the UK needs large-scale investment in renewable energy over the next 10 years supported by incentives. It said that in the longer term as much as 45 per cent of our energy overall - and 65 per cent of our electricity - could come from renewable sources by 2030.
2. Friends of the Earth is calling for decarbonisation of the grid by 2030 - as the CCC has recommended. The green campaigning charity argues that the cost of offshore wind power will fall the more we invest in it. It says the Government should give the Green Investment Bank immediate borrowing powers and ensure that forthcoming plans for electricity market reform do not favour nuclear power.
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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust
Last modified: May 2011
