Isles MP Angus MacNeil met with the House of Commons Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee yesterday (Tuesday) and urged them to push for support for island renewable projects.

As the former Chair of the Energy and Climate Change Committee (ECCC), whose work has now come under the remit of the BEIS Committee, Mr MacNeil stressed the need for urgent clarification on future support.

 

He said: “I met with the new BEIS committee on Tuesday and reiterated to them the need to pursue the issue of support for island renewable projects.

“I repeatedly questioned the previous Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) on this matter in my role as constituency MP and as Chair of the ECCC. I have been seeking a clear answer on when an application will be submitted for approval of the European Commission’s state aid for a scheme to ensure island renewable projects are eligible for a Contract for Difference (CfD).  This would help to make community projects feasible in terms of security of revenues.

“The former DECC failed to clarify this issue which was also highlighted in the final ECC Committee report. I have also met with and raised this with the new Minister with responsibility for Energy, Greg Clark MP. I hope that the new committee will hold the department and the UK Government to account on this.”