Corporate Social Responsibility

Business willing on renewable energy, but frustrated by red tape

Major UK companies are looking to wind energy to reduce their carbon emissions, but are being frustrated by red tape associated with planning, Co-operative Insurance (CIS) has told trade and industry secretary Alistair Darling.

The CIS reported that it had approached a number of companies in which it invests to encourage them to participate in renewable energy initiatives. Although significant interest in wind energy was expressed by companies, a number of common problems were identified, including: local bureaucracy, poor planning guidance for councils, and the lack of a long-term energy strategy and infrastructure to encourage investment.

According to recent reports, said the CIS, there is three times more corporate demand for renewable energy in the UK than the accredited renewable power generated in 2006. What is more, there is nearly five times more wind energy capacity bottlenecked in the planning system than the stated capacity of existing wind farms.

The CIS has distilled the views of companies into a "wish list" setting out commonly perceived problems and possible solutions, and presented it to the government. The CIS argues that if these solutions are implemented, not just wind energy but other forms of renewable fuel could make a much greater contribution to the government's commitment to sourcing 10% of Britain's energy from renewables by 2010.

Signatories of the wish list include: J Sainsbury, Alliance Boots, British American Tobacco and Reckitt Benckiser.

June 2007