Budget response - Philip Simpson, Commercial Director, ReFood

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

Philip Simpson, Commercial Director, ReFood, said on Wednesday, March 16, 2016 in response to the announcements in the UK 2016 Budget by Chancellor George Osborne: “Today’s Budget is another signal that the environment and renewable energy is far from the top of this government’s agenda. It was thoroughly disappointing to see that renewable energy generators are hit once more as the Chancellor announces rises to the Climate Change Levy, which became applicable to such businesses for the first time in 2015.

“To compound this, there have been further tax breaks offered to the oil and gas industry, demonstrating ongoing subsidy support to the fossil fuel sector. Adding salt to the wound, the renewable energy industry continues to be decimated by the ongoing policy uncertainty and swathing subsidy cuts around RHI, FiTs etc.

“While £730m of funding for new renewable energy project can be welcomed, it is really only a drop in the ocean, this isn’t enough to allow the sector to really achieve its potential.”

Very little, I think, needs to be added to that in that department. We must also not forget the big support that is given to nuclear power and everything being employed, including the use of authors of “green” books to pitch the nuclear agenda to the detriment of renewables, with comments such as “renewables being dead-end technologies” and with statements to the effect that in the not so distant future we would be able to render any nuclear waste harmless.

© 2016