Attempts to compare subsidies for different energies in the U.K. are ‘apples to oranges’ and muddle a skewed debate further, the CEO of the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) said Tuesday. With the European Commission preparing guidance on public intervention in energy markets, EWEA is calling for greater clarity and more transparency on public support.
‘At a time when everyone is worrying about energy prices and looking for a scapegoat, we need to know exactly how much taxpayer money different energy sources get," commented Thomas Becker, EWEA's CEO. He said that comparing the price of U.K. offshore wind with the price of nuclear is inaccurate.
"These prices are calculated assuming that the new nuclear reactor will last 60 years – which would be a world first," Becker said. "And they don't take into account the huge public decommissioning costs – £1.9 billion per year for nuclear in the U.K. Not to mention the incalculable risk to public health and safety that no one has yet put a figure to.
"The U.K. government is injecting an old-school technology, which other countries are relegating to the history books, with a double dose of money – a strike price twice the market price – to keep it alive," Becker added.
