{"id":246755,"date":"2023-03-04T12:05:43","date_gmt":"2023-03-04T11:05:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=246755"},"modified":"2023-03-04T12:05:56","modified_gmt":"2023-03-04T11:05:56","slug":"the-shameless-blackmail-by-the-wind-industry-is-a-golden-opportunity-for-the-chancellor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=246755","title":{"rendered":"The shameless blackmail by the wind industry is a golden opportunity for the Chancellor"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Paul Homewood<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The government should reject the wind industry\u2019s crude blackmail and cancel contracts that appear to have been obtained on the basis of false representations.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n


London, 3 March \u2013 Further details are now emerging of the offshore wind industry\u2019s attempt to obtain additional support for unbuilt projects, first reported by the\u00a0<\/em>Financial Times<\/em><\/a>, and the subject of a Net Zero Watch statement (<\/em>\u201cDemands for more subsidy expose the illusion of falling wind power costs\u201d<\/em><\/a>).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n


The Times is now reporting that the Danish state-controlled wind giant \u00d8rsted is\u00a0<\/em>threatening to cancel the \u00a38 billion Hornsea Three wind farm<\/em><\/a>, the world\u2019s biggest, unless it is given more UK government support through \u201cenhanced capital allowances\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n


Hornsea Three was amongst five projects that bid very low prices for UK government Contracts for Difference in 2022. \u00d8rsted claims that it is not alone, and that all these projects are now \u201cin jeopardy\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n


The justification offered for this threat is that the company is facing \u201cvery extraordinary circumstances\u201d that have increased its costs.
However, since the contracts are inflation-linked in any case, and world steel prices have actually fallen since \u00d8rsted submitted its CfD bid for Hornsea 3, Net Zero Watch does not accept this explanation.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On the contrary, we refer once again to analysis that we and others have published over the years, demonstrating from audited financial statements that wind CAPEX and OPEX have not fallen significantly, and that the CfD bids were never realistic.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n


We predicted that these companies would eventually return to government demanding even more support. We were widely criticised at the time for this work, with one\u00a0<\/em>prominent energy reporter<\/em><\/a>\u00a0stating that it was bizarre to believe that the wind companies were \u201cbanking on threatening to go bust\u201d in order to blackmail government into further subsidy. However, this is precisely the situation that is now emerging.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n


A government spokesperson has been quoted to the effect that Hornsea Three\u2019s \u201cinflation-linked contract was already generous\u201d but they were \u201copen to listening to the sector about concerns they may have\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n


The Chancellor may choose to listen, but he should reject the industry\u2019s crude blackmail, and indeed take it as a golden opportunity to cancel contracts that appear to have been obtained on the basis of false representations.
Dr John Constable, Net Zero Watch\u2019s director of energy, said:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n


\u201cFrom 2002 to 2022, the offshore wind industry in the UK has received about \u00a320 billion in subsidy, charged on consumer bills and mostly under the Renewables Obligation. If offshore wind is not yet showing real cost reductions it is unlikely ever to do so. The Chancellor should stand up for consumers and taxpayers and say that enough is enough.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From 2002 to 2022, the offshore wind industry in the UK has received about \u00a320 billion in subsidy, charged on consumer bills and mostly under the Renewables Obligation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":246762,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-246755","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","9":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image-143.png?fit=1600%2C1065&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-12bV","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":265723,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=265723","url_meta":{"origin":246755,"position":0},"title":"As predicted, wind industry blackmails the UK \u2013 demands yet more\u00a0subsidies","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"06\/07\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"CFD prices are no longer cost reflective! We\u2019ve known that for a while!","rel":"","context":"In \"blackmail\"","block_context":{"text":"blackmail","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=blackmail"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/0germany-is-considering-providing-industry-users-with-subsidies-for-offshore-wind-energy-1536x1024-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/0germany-is-considering-providing-industry-users-with-subsidies-for-offshore-wind-energy-1536x1024-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/0germany-is-considering-providing-industry-users-with-subsidies-for-offshore-wind-energy-1536x1024-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/0germany-is-considering-providing-industry-users-with-subsidies-for-offshore-wind-energy-1536x1024-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/0germany-is-considering-providing-industry-users-with-subsidies-for-offshore-wind-energy-1536x1024-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":368655,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=368655","url_meta":{"origin":246755,"position":1},"title":"German military report finds that Chinese wind turbines are a blackmail and security risk","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"04\/03\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"After six separate incidents of underwater cables being sabotaged in the Baltic Sea, the German Defense Ministry is wondering if it is wise to buy Chinese wind turbines with all their electronic parts. 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