01 May 2008 - The Green MEP for the South East today slammed oil giant Shell for its decision to withdraw from the UK’s largest planned offshore windfarm, labelling the company ‘greedy, irresponsible and backward-looking.’

Dr Caroline Lucas MEP, a long time campaigner for the use of renewable energy in the fight against climate change, also called on the Government to urgently reform its current policy framework and to add feed-in tariffs for renewables, which have been successful elsewhere, to its Energy Bill. She said:

“I cannot condemn Shell strongly enough for this shameful retreat from the London Array windfarm project. It appears that as the last key negotiations over equipment contracts took place, the company lost its nerve and decided to shun its responsibilities in the generation of green energy.

“The loss of one of the three investors in the London Array windfarm is a serious setback for the future of renewable energy in this country, at a time when the UK is already struggling to meet its EU targets for renewables.

“Mere days after reporting first quarter profits of £4bn, Shell has shown its true colours in what can only be described as a PR disaster for the company, and further proof that its media-friendly ‘greenspeak’ is both dishonest and irresponsible.

“Despite its rhetoric on the environment and its supposed commitment to renewables, this is a company motivated purely by greed, having raked in billions of pounds in profit, with devastating consequences for the climate.

Dr Lucas concluded: “I can only hope that this cowardly move by Shell does not destabilise the London Array project as a whole. The proposed site off the coast of Kent remains the most suitable location in England on which to build a windfarm of this size.

“If we are to reduce our dependency on polluting and increasingly scarce fossil fuels within the next few years, and if the UK is to stand any chance of meeting its portion of the EU renewables target, the Government must adopt a favourable policy framework for renewable energy. This means including feed-in tariffs – which have allowed Germany, for example, to produce 10 times more wind power than the UK – in its Energy Bill to guarantee long-term investment and greater production at a relatively lower cost than the renewables obligation policy.”

ENDS