Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment she has made of the potential effect on jobs and the supply chain of the closure of the Renewables Obligation for onshore wind.

There were an estimated 19,000 people employed in the onshore wind sector in 2013, including in the supply chain.[1] We currently have enough projects in the pipeline to meet our 2020 renewable electricity objective of between 11-13GW of onshore wind capacity while remaining within the limits of what is affordable. This pipeline of projects will deliver new jobs across the UK.

[1] The Size and Performance of the UK Low Carbon Economy: Report for 2010 to 2013 (March 2013): https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/416240/bis-15-206-size-and-performance-of-uk-low-carbon-economy.pdf.