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LONDON (AP) — Environmental groups welcomed a decision Wednesday by Britain’s Conservative government to drop its opposition to offshore wind farms. But they warned that any gains would be wiped out if the government backed plans to open the UK’s first new coal mine in three decades.
Thursday is the deadline for a decision on a proposed mine in the Cumbria region of north-west England. Opponents say allowing it would tarnish the UK’s image as a world leader in replacing polluting fossil fuels with clean renewable energy.
Wind generated more than a quarter of the UK’s electricity in 2021. But the Conservative government has opposed new wind turbines on the land since 2015 due to local opposition. Most of Britain’s wind farms are offshore.
While running for the leadership of the Conservative Party in the summer, Rishi Sunke, who is now prime minister, promised to maintain the ban. But amid growing calls for change from Conservative lawmakers, the government said on Tuesday it could allow wind farms in areas where communities support them, pending “technical consultation”.
“Decisions about onshore wind sites will continue to be made at the local level as these are best made by local representatives who know their areas well and are democratically accountable to the local community,” the government said in a statement.
Caroline Lucas, Britain’s only Green Party lawmaker, said the end of the ban on offshore wind was welcome, although “the devil is in the detail.”
“But if Cumbria is to ‘buy’ a coal mine to be given the greenlight later this week, that would be totally and utterly shameless,” she wrote on Twitter.
Britain has taken steps to boost its domestic energy supply since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent oil and gas prices soaring. The UK imports little Russian oil or gas, but its lightly regulated energy market leaves consumers highly exposed to price fluctuations.
Many households and businesses have seen bills double or triple over the past year, although government price caps – due to expire in April – have prevented sharper increases.
Environmentalists and some local residents have strongly opposed plans to mine coking coal – a type of fuel used to make steel instead – from under the Irish Sea and process it at the site of a closed chemical plant in Whitehaven, a town. 340 miles (550 km) northwest of London.
Opponents say the mine will undermine global efforts to phase out coal and make it harder for Britain to meet its targets to generate 100% of its electricity from clean energy sources by 2035 and reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
“Certain types of coal from the mine have no use for the UK power or steel industries and the UK has led the global campaign to phase out coal, so a lot rides on (Cabinet Minister) Michael Gove’s decision,” Jess Ralston said. at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, a nonprofit organization.
Supporters say the mine will bring much-needed jobs to an area hit hard by the closing of its mines and factories in recent decades.
The invasion of Ukraine has caused countries across Europe to reconsider plans to cut their fossil fuel consumption. Britain has also approved more North Sea oil and gas drilling, while the Czech Republic has reversed plans to ban coal mining in the key region.
France recently restarted shuttered coal plants, abandoning an earlier pledge by President Emmanuel Macron to shut down all of the country’s coal-burning plants by the end of this year.
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Follow AP’s coverage of climate and environment: https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment
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