Member Article

UK onshore wind worth £550m to UK economy

The UK onshore wind industry created over 8000 jobs and was worth £548 million to the British economy in 2011, according to figures published jointly by Renewable UK and the Department for Energy and Climate Change.

BiGGAR Economics, who compiled the report, look at wind farms across the UK, analysing the contribution their development, construction, operating and maintenance was worth to the UK economy at a local, regional and national level.

The results indicated that the industry, which is already worth millions, could be worth even more if it is deployed on a scale suggested in the Government’s Renewable Energy Roadmap. If these measures were implemented, the UK economy could benefit by up to £0.78 billion by 2020, and could support a further 11,600 jobs.

Edward Davey, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, said: “Onshore wind
power is a cost effective and valuable part of the UK’s diverse energy mix.

“Not only does wind power provide secure, low carbon power to homes and businesses, it
supports jobs and brings significant investment up and down the country too.

“Our policies of increasing community involvement will also help ensure the right balance
between developers and community interests.

The report also recognises the benefits that this investment will bring to local economies, and it is likely that as the sector develops, opportunities for UK businesses will also, especially in rural areas.

Commenting on this, Maria MaCaffrey Renewable UK CEO said: “This study explains
why in rural areas 68% of people support wind, and 57% of those living in rural areas
recognise that wind brings benefits in terms of jobs, 12% more than those in urban areas.

“Rather than feeling that wind has been imposed on them, real people, across the UK are
recognising the benefits of having wind in their backyard, and with Government’s help we’ll
continue to build on the 8600 people employed across the country because of onshore wind,
as promised by our members in the Wind Energy Charter”.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .