Plans to support renewable energy announced in yesterday's budget are unlikely to get the UK's offshore wind back on track, the industry has warned. Last year, the UK fell behind its target to build 50GW of offshore wind by 2030 when an auction round failed to attract a single bid. The government's pricing of contracts did not woo any new projects, despite prior warnings from industry it was too low.
Renewable UK, the country's leading not-for-profit renewable energy trade association, warned Britain was now unlikely to reach the 2030 target, which is seen as crucial to boosting clean, secure energy and ditching foreign gas. Dan McGrail, chief executive of Renewable UK, said: 'Uplift in clean energy budget is welcome, but opportunity to maximise offshore wind capacity in this year's auction has been missed.