Constraints bill for wind is lunacy

SIR, – The recent coverage of the scandalous amount of money that is being paid out to turn off wind turbines, mainly in Scotland, should make consumers across the UK gasp with disbelief and anger.

The reckless deployment of thousands of turbines by the Scottish Government must be halted and only Westminster can bring in legislation to slam the door shut on this absurd constraints jackpot and protect consumers against further unrestrained lunacy.

Some developers are applying and getting approval for extensions to wind farms that are already being paid tens of millions to turn off original turbines. The whole thing is out of control and why UK Government is allowing this unwanted junk energy to flood the grid is beyond comprehension.

In 2012 it was revealed that there were also “commercially sensitive” Forward Energy Trades (FET). A sort of “secret constraints” and still paid by the consumer. At that time they were running parallel with the publicly known constraints at more than £12 million each.

Fast forward six short years, thousands more turbines and the constraints bonanza is hotting up with over half a billion pounds paid out in constraints to wind operators to not generate. Attempts to find out from Westminster’s Department for Energy how much the FET bill is now have been unsuccessful – so far. What if it is running parallel today? This is our money. Money from every energy bill payer in the UK – domestic and business.

Campaigners across Scotland believe it is these constraints that are encouraging wind developers to continue to plague our rural communities. They are the new “subsidy”.

CEO of Spanish-owned Scottish Power Keith Anderson recently said he is heading north to Scotland for most of his future wind investment because it is windier there than in England. Pull the other one Mr Anderson.

We all know why you are galloping up to Scotland. It is because the SNP wave developments through despite local opinion.

Add that to the eye-watering constraints being paid out to the likes of Scottish Power’s own Whitelee Windfarm – over £96m, a fifth of the total constraints bill – and what’s not to love about trashing Scotland’s landscapes for unreliable industrial and very expensive wind?

Lyndsey Ward, Darach Brae,

Beauly, Inverness-shire