The Greens have criticised the LibDem administration of Sheffield City Council for failing to meet this year’s targets for renewable energy. The city has a Regional Spatial Strategy target of 10.6 megawatts of renewable energy
reneration by 2010 and a Sheffield Development Framework commitment of 12 megawatts by 2010.  But Sheffield currently has no lage-scale developmnents feeding energy into the national grid.

The Greens say that the city needs to develop its green energy industry to
provide energy security and jobs and to tackle fuel poverty.  The Council
rejected the Westwood Country Park wind power project in 2008 without waiting for the results of a feasibility study and has not included anaerobic digestion in the new waste management strategy.

Cllr Murphy said ‘The spectacular failure by the Lib Dem Council to reach these targets shows a lack of understanding of the big issues facing our city in the near future. This city needs real leadership on renewable energy to grab the employment and financial opportunities available.’

ENDS

MOTION

That this Council:

a. notes the high fuel prices and the related problems of energy security,
economic stability and fuel poverty;

b. Notes the motion to Full Council of 30th July 2008 proposed by Cllr
Jillian Creasy and amended by Cllr Alan Hooper, which:

i. noted that Sheffield has a Regional Spatial Strategy target of 10.6
megawatts of renewable energy generation by 2010 and a Sheffield Development
Framework commitment of 12 megawatts by 2010;

ii. commited this council to pursuing and developing renewable energy
generation at appropriate sites in Sheffield.

c. notes the council’s continuing failure to reach either target mentioned.

d. understands the current known level of grid connected renewable energy
generation in Sheffield to be zero megawatts.

e. believes this figure to be indicative of a lack of concern by the current
administration about keeping to commitments on energy issues and shows a
lack of leadership.

f. agrees with the smaller opposition group that the administration’ s
rejection of the Westwood Country Park wind power project without waiting
for the results of a feasibility study sent a signal to developers that this
Council would be unfriendly to future schemes

g. agrees with the smaller opposition group that failure to include
anaerobic digestion in the new waste management strategy is another example
of the administration’s poor understanding of the problem.

h. calls for an urgent report on the progress of this council’s commitment
to renewable energy is brought to this council within 3 months.