How you pay wind farms £1m a day NOT to work

‘Huge sums of public cash’

SCOTLAND’S wind farms have been paid a record £1million every day this year to switch off their turbines – because it became too windy.

The ‘constraint payments’ compensation, funded through power bills, is handed out when the energy being supplied outstrips demand.

Wind farms must stop generating power in very blowy conditions because the National Grid cannot cope with the extra energy being produced.

In January and February, constraint payments were £71.7million across the UK and £69million in Scotland – more than three times the £19.3million paid out in the same period last year.

If that trend continues, this year could be the most expensive 12-month period on record. Last year, UK-wide payments were £139million.

The figures were compiled by the Renewable Energy Foundation (REF).

Last night, Scottish Tory economy spokesman Maurice Golden said: ‘Wind energy has a place in Scotland’s energy mix, but we need to find a better way of protecting the taxpayer where these constraint payments are concerned.

‘People are horrified that massive wind farm firms are paid huge sums of public cash at the whim of the weather.’

REF director Dr John Constable blamed the rising cost on a bottleneck, when too much energy is created but cannot be fed into the National Grid.

The £1.3billion Western Link, which carries electricity between Hunterston Power Station near Largs, Ayrshire, and Deeside Power Station in North Wales, was designed to help address the problem.

Dr Constable said: ‘In spite of expenditure on grid reinforcement and new lines such as the Western Link, the electricity system is failing to keep up with the development of wind in Scotland, resulting in very high costs to consumers.

‘Government at Holyrood and Westminster must share the blame. Meanwhile, heads or tails, the energy companies win handsomely.’

Morag Watson, director of policy at Scottish Renewables, said: ‘Constraint payments are a normal part of the overall efficient management of our electricity system, given the limitations of the UK’s ageing energy infrastructure.

‘Delivering a modern electricity network capable of getting power generated to customers must be a priority over the coming years, and is the best way to minimise the cost of constraint payments to consumers.’

A National Grid spokesman said: ‘The cost of all the services the ESO [Elecricity System Operator] uses to manage supply and demand is currently £1 of the average annual household bill of £554.

‘The alternative to constraint payments is building more electricity transmission assets which is more costly, meaning consumers’ bills would rise.’

A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘All regulation and legislation in respect of electricity generation is currently reserved to UK ministers and UK regulator Ofgem.

‘The Scottish Government has no role in setting constraint payments. However, we strongly support the development of renewable energy.’