RES drops UK wind farm citing policy uncertainties

Renewable Energy Systems Ltd (RES) on Wednesday said it has withdrawn its planning application for its eight-turbine Brown’s Holt wind farm in Lincolnshire, eastern England due to policy uncertainties.

The renewables developer cited local planning barriers and the government's prioritisation of more expensive and polluting technologies for its decision.

Development manager Chris Banks said that “at the current time the UK Government is not giving new onshore wind farms fair access to the energy market - access already provided to more expensive and more polluting forms of generation.” He added that on top of that West Lindsey District Council was not promoting onshore wind sites in its Local Plan.

Banks also said that onshore wind was the cheapest form of all energy generation and that it made no sense to prevent well-located and locally supported projects like Brown’s Holt from coming forward. “We urgently need greater clarity from the Government on the future market for the best value low carbon energy generation," he said.

The company noted that the project had received more than 300 letters of support. It would have been located near the village of Corringham, north east of Gainsborough. Initial plans envisaged the installation of 12 turbines, which number was later reduced to eight.

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