Lyon: UK Government must act on feed-in tariff ruling
September 3, 2010 3:34 PM
Originally published by George Lyon - Liberal Democrat MEP for Scotland
Originally published by George Lyon - Liberal Democrat MEP for Scotland
George Lyon, Liberal Democrat MEP for Scotland, has called on the UK Minister for Energy and Climate Change, Charles Hendry MP, to come to a decision on whether funding through the Feed-in Tariff (FiT) scheme can be awarded in conjunction with SRDP funding.
Mr Lyon wrote to Mr Hendry and in his reply the Minister stated that "the European Commission has responsibility to consider and decide whether or not proposed State Aid is compatible with the single market."
Mr Hendry went on to say that the "Commission has been considering the GB FiTs scheme and published its decision on the 11th June" and he was "reviewing the implications on scheme eligibility and will provide further guidance as soon as possible."
In the current economic climate, Mr Lyon believes that it would help many Scottish farmers to have access to both SRDP and FiT funding for the same micro-hydroelectric generation projects.
Commenting, Mr Lyon said:
"Now that the European Commission has come to its decision, the Minister must act quickly to ensure that Scottish farmers have clarity on all funding avenues open to them.
"Many farmers have contacted me looking for a speedy resolution to this situation. They believe the viability of their small scale renewable projects depends on SRDP grant funding.
"Renewable power generation could act as a welcome bonus for many Scottish farmers who are struggling to make ends meet.
"It is now for the UK Government to come to a decision quickly and bring an end to the current uncertainty."
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