CIWM comments on renewable energy policy statement

CIWM News
27^th June 2011

CIWM welcomes role of waste in renewable energy policy statement but says capacity threshold is too high

Commenting on the final draft of the National Policy Statement (NPS) for Renewable Energy Infrastructure laid before Parliament last week by the Energy Secretary Chris Huhne, CIWM's chief executive Steve Lee said:

"CIWM is delighted that Government recognises that a wide range of technologies can and will help to recover valuable energy from our residual waste (i.e. after reusing and recycling as much as we can). CIWM still believes, however, that the very high electricity generation threshold for waste-derived energy to fall into the category of nationally significant infrastructure will leave many medium-sized proposals still struggling through a planning system more suited to housing development. If this threshold is to remain unchanged - and the recent Waste Policy Review and this NPS appears to confirm this - we need the outcome of planning changes under the Localism Bill to help rather than hinder this valuable energy source - regardless of the technology it uses."

A copy of the National Policy Statement (NPS) for Renewable Energy Infrastructure can be found at http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/meeting_energy/consents_planning/nps_en_infra/nps_en_infra.aspx

ENDS

Contact:

Pat Jennings
CIWM Communications Office
Tel: 01604 620426
E-mail: pat.jennings@ciwm.co.uk