Industry NewsThe Appeals Court is delaying its decision on a case linked to Feed in Tariffs (FiTs). Friends of the Earth had successfully taken the Government to the High Court over its FiT consultation. The Government has challenged this decision. The Appeals Court has stated that it could take over a week to reach a final outcome. The consultation process has already led to many renewable energy projects being cancelled.
The Government had opened a consultation in October to reduce the support for solar energy in FiTs. This was to reduce the costs of the scheme. The take-up in the subsidies had been more successful than expected. However, the point when the support would be cut was to start in mid-December. This was before the consultation officially ended. The High Court agreed with Friends of the Earth that this action was illegal.
Commenting on the Government's challenge of the High Court decision, Craig Bennett, Campaigns Director, Friends of the Earth, said, "Instead of wasting taxpayers' money fighting this in the courts, Ministers should safeguard thousands of solar jobs and enable more homes, businesses and communities to plug in to clean energy."