Nicola Sturgeon has described the UK Government’s decision to end subsidy payments for onshore wind farms a year early as “wrong-headed, perverse and downright outrageous”.
The First Minister said her government would do everything in its power to persuade the Conservative administration at Westminster to change its mind.
The Tories had made ending the scheme a general election pledge, arguing wind farms “often fail to win public support and are unable by themselves to provide the firm capacity that a stable energy system requires”.
Industry body Scottish Renewables said the move could cost billions of pounds in investments.
Asked about the decision during First Minister’s Questions at Holyrood, Ms Sturgeon said: “This decision is wrong-headed, it is perverse and it is downright outrageous.
“I think it severely undermines any Tory claims to be pro-business.”
She added: “This decision comes despite the UK Energy Secretary admitting on radio this very morning that onshore wind is one of the most cost-effective ways of developing renewable energy.”
Ms Sturgeon argued that the move would also send out the wrong message ahead of a conference in Paris later this year aimed at getting a new global agreement on climate change.
“As for climate-change targets, cutting support for low carbon energy is a terrible example to set to the rest of the world as we run up to the Paris talks, so I think this decision is utterly wrong-headed and wrong, and we will do everything in our power to get the UK Government to see sense and change it,” she said.
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