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Miliband: Tory councils are blocking wind farms

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16th September 2009

The energy secretary has claimed that Conservative-run councils are frustrating plans for wind power.

Ed Miliband also told the TUC congress on Wednesday that he was "very sorry" for workers at the Vestas plant.

The Danish firm closed its plants on the Isle of Wight and in Southampton with the loss of 425 jobs, blaming a lack of demand in the UK.

Miliband said that in negotiations with Vestas "the issue for them was quite simple, they did not have the orders for onshore wind turbines to justify keeping the factory open".

"They did not have the orders because up and down this country local councils are turning down wind turbine applications; 60 per cent of applications made to Conservative councils are turned down," he said.

Miliband claimed the Conservative Party's commitment to green issues is shallow.

"The Conservatives claim to be green," he said. "David Cameron put a wind turbine on his roof, he was photographed with huskies in the Arctic, and he rides his bicycle to the House of Commons with the car driving behind him.

"I say it is not green to put a wind turbine on your roof when all round the country Tory councils are turning down wind turbine applications."

Miliband said the UK could not become a centre for onshore wind manufacturing "if all round the country councils are turning down wind turbine applications".

"But, Congress, I do believe there is a big future for us both in onshore and offshore wind," he added.

"Today we are announcing resources for Clipper. Clipper will be building a factory in the North East of England to make the largest offshore wind blade in the world."

Miliband told TUC delegates that the UK is "part of the global renaissance in nuclear power".

He described coal as a "dilemma" to which the solution is carbon capture and storage.

Miliband said that 30,000 to 60,000 jobs could be created by 2030, "jobs constructing the power stations, jobs designing and manufacturing the components, jobs laying the pipes to carry the CO2, jobs at every level of skills".

"It is not just jobs in coal but it is jobs in nuclear as well," he added.

The government plans to build "up to four" carbon capture and storage demonstration projects.

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